Years ago we started following a "gypsy jazz" duo called Willie and Lobo. Wille from Florida and Lobo from Bavaria via Mexico. Somebody said wouldn't it be great to have them play on the dock? So on a bet I got them to play on the dock. It was the first of about 9 concerts we had in support of the Toronto General Hospitals Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Fund. We raised $150K for the TGH over the years and had some incredible parties.
So here are some other "noise makers" that entertained us over the years. Wonderful people with incredible talent.
This is a crummy shot from the very first concert. It had rained all day, I had picked up Willie and Lobo at Pearson Airport early Saturday morning, it rained all the way back to Haliburton. Things were not looking so good. We had about 100 people show up and just before the start a small hole opened in the clouds and the sun came out. The show was on. It was truly a magical night.
Two days after the concert we had a Tornado rip through leaving a huge mess and a whole lot of "what ifs". Scary.
The next year Willie and Lobo came back along with Amanda Martinez and Kevin Laliberte.
Amanda and Kevin. Two of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Talent indeed.
Willie Royal
Wolfgang "El Lobo" Fink
Willie Royal's music has gone silent as he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. I just feel robbed by what has happened to my friend. Google all of them but listen to some of Willie and Lobo's music, still magic.
The following year Roger Scannura and his Ritmo Flamenco Troop played for us. Our dock is not big and Roger's wife and daughters danced. We kept wondering who would fall off the dock first! I first met Roger in Mexico at the Zihuatanejo Guitar Festival.
Roger Scannura
Roger's Daughter (she was stunning)
Roger's wife is a professional flamenco dancer and instructor
The next year The Sultans of String played for us. What a night.
I am missing a lot of pictures from the next few years but the last year Downchild Blue Band played for us. We had 170 people show up, ran out of food and alcohol. My poor wife was stressed beyond belief, she managed somehow to pull it all off and everyone was fed. She reminds me when I bring up doing another fundraiser that she is an expert shot and this is the last thing I will hear and see. She is a hard case sometimes!
Thanks for looking, I am running out of pictures, yeah I know thank goodness!