“King Biscuit Boy” Richard Newell to Receive Special Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Maple Blues Award

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, blues legend Richard Newell — a.k.a. King Biscuit Boy — will be honored with a special posthumous lifetime achievement award Monday, Jan. 17, at the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto’s Koerner Hall.

Newell, a lifelong resident of Hamilton, was a pioneer of the Canadian blues scene and considered one of the top harmonica players in the world.

A founding member of Crowbar, Newell shared stages with Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, Etta James and Ronnie Hawkins. Ever since Newell’s death at the age of 58 in 2003, Hamilton blues artists have held a tribute concert each spring to raise funds for a Mohawk College music scholarship in his name.

Among the nominees at this year’s Maple Blues Awards are local blues singer Harrison Kennedy and Hamilton native Jack de Keyzer. Hamilton native Rita Chiarelli is also being presented with a lifetime achievement award during the show.

For more information, visit mapleblues.ca.