“ Sometimes those lyric lines about hard living and tortured love may not seem to match the 17-year old voice that sings them, but if talent and a true appreciation for the blues counts, JP LeBlanc is in fact a veteran.”
J.P. LeBlanc 2006 @ De-Zign.net
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Singer, songwriter, guitarist, performer - this 21-year old from Bathurst N.B. has been christened baby 'Stevie Ray Vaughn' . He is known to crowds of all ages, for his energetic performances, his guitar wizardry, and his passionate lyrics - both in English and French. JP is a born “blues man” who makes his guitar scream for mercy.
JP was born February 9th, 1985 in Bathurst, New Brunswick and has been playing the guitar since the age of 11. As a child, he could always be found singing and dancing, so when he decided to play the guitar it came as no surprise. His dad told him that if he really wanted to learn to play well, he needed to listen to the roots of good guitar music, 'the blues'. JP was hesitant at first, saying he didn't want to play “old people” music. But he gave his dad's suggestion a chance and was quick to realize that musicians like, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, BB King, and Robert Johnson could really play the guitar! From then on, he was addicted to the blues.
Within a year of picking up the guitar he was playing in local outdoor concerts and by 14 he was jamming with bands like “Joe Murphy and the Water Street Blues Band” and “Andy Cottle and Double Cross” . At the ripe old age of 15, he was jamming at the Carleton Maximum Blues Festival (Carleton, PQ) and at the Harvest Jazz Blues Festival (Fredericton) with the Georgette Frye Band .
But it isn't only guitar playing and performing that he enjoys. He loves to sing and write songs. In January 2001, just weeks shy of his 16th birthday, he cut his first demo CD, “Just the Beginning” , in which he wrote the music and lyrics, and is lead vocalist and guitarist. A meeting with the legendary BB King in the spring of 2002 inspired JP to pen many more songs which lead to the completion of his first full-length CD, “Take Me Back” in January 2003. Recorded at CBC studio H, in Halifax, N.S. under the production and guidance of Karl Falkenham and Glen Meisner . The CD was officially released February 15th, 2003 during a one-hour live broadcast of CBC's national radio program, DNTO (Definitely not the Opera) and was nominated, in 2004 for the ECMA Blues recording of the year. In 2005, JP was nominated for the Maple Blues new artist of the year award.
After taking a year off to write, compose and tour, he entered university in 2004 and is currently in his 3rd year of business administration, majoring in marketing.
In January 2006, just shy of his 21st birthday, he recorded his second full length CD, a “French blues” CD under the direction of Marc Beaulieu , acclaimed francophone producer from Montreal. The CD entitled, “Le blues m’emporte”, was released May 15th, 2006 during Music New Brunswick week. Nine of the twelve songs were written by JP. Renowned Louisiana artist, Zachary Richard wrote the lyrics for two of the tunes. This partnership came about following a television show, ‘Coeur Battailleur’ , hosted by Zachary Richard which portrayed JP’s history as an Acadian artist. Another Louisiana artist, Bruce Daigrepont , provided a tune for the album. A single entitled, Mes Amis d’ici , was released in mid April and has spent over 20 weeks on the ‘Palmarès acadien’ and 14 on the RFA (Radio Francophone Amérique) , half of which at number 1!!
- Maximum Blues – Carleton, Que., August 2001; JP performed to over 4000 spectators, as one of the main acts at the beach’s outdoor venue.
- Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival , Fredericton, NB, September, 2001: opened for the Carson Downey Band (Halifax, NS) and Sugar Ray and the Bluetones (Rhode Island); CBC Radio (Halifax) recorded JP’s live performance. A part of that performance was made into a TV commercial to promote Fredericton Tourism.
- ECMA’s 72-Hour Jam , Saint John, NB, February 2002; played on 2 occasions.
- CBC’s national radio program , “This Morning”, February 2002; Acoustic performance and interview by the host, Sheila Rogers, who affectionately referred to JP as a “baby Stevie Ray Vaughn”!
- C-103’s Blair Patton show , Moncton NB, March 2002; Interview and acoustic performance.
- KC Irving Center , in Bathurst, NB, February 2002; JP was a guest performer with Glamour Puss Blues Band (the 2002 ECMA Blues Group of the Year).
- The Edmundston Jazz and Blues Festival , Edmundston, NB, June 2002.
- The Market Summer Concert Series , Moncton, NB, July 2002; JP opened for the Carson Downey Band (Halifax).
- Saint John Blues Festival , Saint John, NB, July 11, 2002;JP opened for Ray Bonneville (Montreal) and appeared on the same bill as Long John Baldry.
- Hospitality Days , Bathurst, NB, July 13, 2002; played same show as Jimmy Rankin.
- Bathurst Downtown Shuffle , Bathurst, NB; July 20, 2002; JP opened for the Carson Downey Band (Halifax).
- NB Day Celebrations , Charlo, NB, August 6, 2002.
- Festival Acadien , Caraquet, NB, August 9 2002 .
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton, N.B., September 2002; “The Louisiana Lightning Show”: JP opened for the Downchild Blues Band (Toronto) and Sonny Landreth (Louisiana).
- Université de Moncton , Moncton, N.B., January 11th, 2003; JP opened for Les Respectables from Montreal, who opened for The Rolling Stones on January 8th in Montreal.
- DNTO (CBC Radio 1), Halifax, NS, February 15th, 2003; JP performed a ½ hour live broadcast and returned to perform a selection with the Prime Minister of the Blues, Mr. Dutchie Mason.
- Canada Winter Games , February 2003, JP performed 2 evenings at the Athletes village.
- Atlantic Scene , Ottawa On, April 26th, 2003, JP opened for Matt Minglewood and played a few songs with Matt.
- Edmundston Blues Festival , Edmundston, NB, June 13th and 14th, 2003.
- Bathurst Hospitality Days , Bathurst, NB, July 5th, 2003, JP opened for Theresa Malenfont.
- Gala de la chanson de Caraquet , Caraquet NB, July 31st, 2003, Caraquet NB.
- Roc Voisine Celebrity Golf Tournament , Edmundston, NB, August 8th, 2003.
- Acadian festival – Tracadie, NB, August 9th, 2003.
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton, NB, September 12th, 2003. JP is part of the “Young Guns” show led by Dave Rotundo and the Blue Canadians (Toronto)and headlining “Anthony Gomes (Nashville).
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton, NB, September 13th, 2003. JP performs on a live national broadcast of CBC radio’s “Saturday Night Blues” and Radio-Canada’s “Silence”, with Steve Hill (Montreal), Nanette Workman (Montreal) and Deborah Coleman (Virginia).
- Global Noon , Global Television, Halifax, NS, November 20, 2003. A half hour live television interview and acoustic performance broadcasted across Atlantic Canada.
- Breakfast Television , ATV, Halifax NS, November 21, 2003. An hour and half television program in which JP was interviewed and performed – broadcasted November 24th, across Atlantic Canada.
- Capital Theatre , Moncton, NB, March 6, 2004. Performed the opening act for Matt Minglewood, ECMA awards recipient for best Blues recording of the year.
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European Tour: June 2004:
-
Festival de Bourgonne
: Le Creusot, France,
-
Dragon Blues Fest
, Wrexham, Wales
-
Spydafest Festival
, Portland, England.
- Stan Rogers International Folk Festival , Canso NS, July 2004. Performed on same stage as SHAYE, Bruce Cockburn.
- Congrès mondial acadien , Claire NS, August 2004. Main act for the largest Acadian family, the LeBlanc reunion.
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton NB, September 2004. JP was headliner for a Acadian night. Opening performance was by Feu Folet, from Louisiana, USA.
- Le Garage , Radio-Canada television show, recorded in October 2004 with Star Académie winner, Wilfred Lebouthiller and released in January 2005.
- Coeur batailleur , ½ hour television show highlighting JP’s music with host and renowned francophone singer/songwriter Zachery Richard. Zachery and his production crew spent several days filming and recording JP. This show was aired on TV5 in February 2005.
- ECMA’s , Sydney, NS, February 2005. JP performed at the Roots showcase and the NB room.
- Stan Rogers International Songwriter Festival , Canso NS, July 2005. JP had 5 performances including opening night on the Main Stage, with Bruce Guthro and JP Cormier. Two performances, which included his new Francophone songs, were well received by the 3000+ audience.
- Festival de Blues de Mont Tremblant , July 2005, JP performed on Friday evening on the main Volkswagen stage and later at the Bullseye bar to a raucous crowd.
- Grand Pré , Nova Scotia, July 2005, JP performed at the inaugural event recognizing the 250th anniversary of the Déportation des Acadiens.
- Festival Acadien , Caraquet, NB, Aug 2005. JP closed for the Quebec rock group Offenbach .
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton NB, September 2005. JP was headliner for a David Gogo of Vancouver.
- ECMA’s , Charlottetown, PEI, February 2006. JP was featured on the NB stage.
-
Breakfast Television, ATV
, Halifax NS, June 2006. An hour and half television program in which JP was interviewed and performed – broadcasted across Atlantic Canada.
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Antigonish, NS
, July 19-20, 2006. Outdoor concert.
-
Festival Acadien
, Caraquet, NB, Aug 11, 2006. JP closed for the Quebec rock group
Les Respectables
.
- Ils en blues , Ils d’Orléans, PQ, Aug 12, 2006. JP played on the line up with Jimmy Boskill , and Pat the White .
- Harvest Jazz and Blues , Fredericton NB, September 2006. JP was headliner for a Steve Riley and the Mamou Boys , Louisiana, USA
- Canada AM, CTV , live performance broadcasted across Canada, September 7, 2006.
- Radio Canada Performance , recorded at Université St. Anne, NS, Sept 29, 2006.
“I thought I was impressed after the show in the Bullseye Friday night but I listened to your CD while driving back to Montreal yesterday and was totally blown away! You're amazing! I also thought you'd like to know that last night Randy Renaud, the host of the Black Cat Alley blues show on CHOM-FM in Montreal played two cuts from your CD and raved about how talented you are.”
- fan email, July 2005
Word of this 18-year-old has spread from Bathurst, NB, with the young man being touted as the next Stevie Ray Vaughan and the opening "Black Cat" indicates he`s got that sound pretty well covered. Fortunately, he goes on to show himself to be quite an original songwriter, especially for blues ballads. The title song has a sense of dynamics that other new artists would do well to copy, not to mention the downplaying of the guitar playing and the emphasizing of the vocals. "24/7" keeps the tempo up with some excellent piano from Johnny "Porco" Theodore and harp from mentor & veteran Joe Murphy, who also adds guitar and accordion throughout. Murphy's gig at Your Father's Moustache in Halifax provided the incubator for this young man. "Velvet Paintings" is the unlikely title for an electric slide-led ballad but the paintings are all that's left after she leaves. "I Think it Was Love" is just Murphy's harp and acoustic guitars, very effective. "Ticket Smile" is a sharp rocker with the rest of the line being `With a ticket smile she's getting a free ride'. There's plenty of guitar as well here, especially on "What's It Gonna Be". Beautifully recorded by CBC Radio Maritimes, this one's a very promising debut-may there be many more.
- John Valenteyne, Maple Blues Magazine, 2004
“at eighteen years old [JP] is establishing himself as one of the hottest young guitarists in Canada."
-Holger Petersen, Host, CBC's national radio show, Saturday Night Blues, September 2003
With his first full-length CD under his belt, enthralled audiences in his wake and several music awards on his wall, J.P. LeBlanc is a certifiable rising star on the East Coast blues scene. And, oh yeah, he's only 18 years old. JP's infectious sound nods respectfully to guitar heroes Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King and Robert Johnson while taking the audience in a direction that is uniquely his own..
- Artist Bio, Harvest Jazz and Blues, September 2003
“Have you seen J.P. LeBlanc (perform)? Oh my God!” Ms. Caissie said. Indeed, J.P. was quite a sight tearing out solos like he was a born bluesman, contorting his face as his guitar screamed for mercy during his sets at South Market Billards 72-Hour Jam.”
-Telegraph Journal, February 4th, 2002
“He’s going to be one of the best guitarist whizzes to come out of Atlantic Canada in some time,”
-Blain Morrison, Magic 97, Kentville, N.S., February 10th, 2002
“I’m hearing a lot of Robert Johnson”
- Blair Patton, C-103 Moncton, N.B. March 2002
“A guitar wizard at 17 years of age”
-Eric Lewis, Times and Transcript, July 4, 2002
“Sixteen year old JP LeBlanc follows in the footsteps of Blues greats like Stevie Ray Vaughn and BB King”
- Mike Parker, Saint John Entertainment Review, July 2002
“As the roaring cheers from the audience members twice and three times his age attested to, the 17-year old knows his stuff”
- Shawn Berry, Telegraph Journal, July, 2002
- Artist Bio, Harvest Jazz and Blues, September 2002
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- JP was selected to participate in a "Young Artist" conference in Granby, Que.
