Though San Diego has had its share of great blues musicians over the past few decades, the local scene is just hitting its stride.
Blues fans are practically jaded by a pool of talent that includes legendary figures like TomCat Courtney and award-winning new talent like acoustic duo Nathan James and Ben Hernandez.
At the core of this scene is a group of artists who not only play gigs but organize events and champion blues music as a matter of course.
Such is the case with harmonica player Chet Cannon, who performs at Patrick’s II on Nov. 22
Though Thanksgiving isn’t normally considered a big night for club-hopping, Cannon considers seeing a band the perfect way to end the day.
“After cooking all day and night, dealing with kids and the in-laws all afternoon, the pie is gone and football is over, what better way to give thanks than to curl yourself around a nice cold beer with some cool, live, swingin’ blues music?” he said.
Cannon and his band, The Committee, got their start in the area’s clubs during 2001, but he’d been performing long before.
Part of a musical family, as a child he would join his father’s band, performing the ’50s chestnut “Poison Ivy.”
“My public debut would probably have to be singing background vocals at a big picnic with my dad’s country band,” Cannon recalled with a laugh. “I guess you’ve gotta start somewhere.” By the time he was 14 he had fallen in love with blues music, thanks to a friend playing him John Lee Hooker’s “It Serves You Right to Suffer.”
“The blues was a natural thing for me,” he said. “Singing the blues is my therapy.”
His performing style came to him in a more roundabout way “” his aunt, who listened to Chuck Berry, The Beatles and The Supremes, among others.
“She would play that stuff turned up to real loud and we would dance around like crazy. I learned some of my best moves from her,” he joked.
Once he began performing with The Committee, a fan base was quickly built up through relentless gigging and a high-voltage personality.
The band was soon opening shows for the likes of Maria Muldaur, John Hammond and Candye Kane.
Cannon also gave back to the community by staging benefit concerts for worthy causes, including The Marine Family Food Locker and a 13-year-old brain damage victim, A.J. Hendrick.
His first CD, “Don’t Get Me Started,” was released in 2006. A live recording, it was nominated for “Best Blues Album” in that year’s San Diego Music Awards, with the band also scoring a nominated in 2007 for “Best Blues Band.”
The disc was recorded live, capturing the group in fine form on 10 sterling Cannon originals as well as covers of classics from Memphis Slim, Snooky Pryor and Muddy Waters.
He noted one pitfall in performing his own material in a genre with such a long history.
“At times it can seem difficult if not impossible to find something new to say,” he remarked. “There are really no ‘new’ blues songs, but as an artist you must continue to try and express yourself the best you can.”
Cannon considers the San Diego blues scene and local music in general to be booming.
“There are so many bands in fact that we just need more venues dedicated to supporting live blues music seven nights a week,” he said.
Having been a musician for most of his life, Cannon is quick to cite his favorite thing about performing.
“[It’s] when I actually see the firsthand results of our music touching people. They just smile, relax, dance. Some people say it’s the first good time they’ve had in years,” he said. “And that is a beautiful thing.”
Chet Cannon and The Committee perform at Patrick’s II, 428 F St. on Thursday, Nov. 22. 21 and up.
For more information visit www.patricksii.com or www.myspace.com/ChetandTheCommittee.