Though the Sudbury music scene lost a monster of a blues man, they gained a festival to honour his legacy, and a chance to hear the music he loved and the inaugural Dwayne Trudeau Memorial Blues Festival.
Held this Sunday, Dec. 17 at Little Montreal (182 Elgin Street), the festival’s lineup features musicians Tommy Fyfe, Phillipe Mathieu, Phil Loves Music, Sean Poluk, Pepper Stalr Cain and P.R. Smith (spoken word).
A week after Sudbury.com featured Trudeau and shared some of his music, we learned he had unexpectedly passed away.
Trudeau died on Nov. 13 at the age of 48. He leaves behind family, four children, and the eternal respect of Sudbury’s music community.
Born April 29, 1975, Trudeau was originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, and moved to Sudbury in 1987. He told Sudbury.com in early November he began playing on the streets just to make a few bucks for diapers, and ended up playing just about every stage in Sudbury.
The festival will also be a chance to raise money for the Sudbury Food Bank, the way Blues for Food once did, said Vic Theriault, musician, organizer and one half of Sudbury’s Bluez Brothers, who will be hosting the event alongside Rylan Stolar.
He said the food bank needs support now more than ever, and it was the best way he could think of to honour Trudeau.
“This festival is about honoring the late Dwayne Trudeau, whose love for the blues and genuine musicianship left a mark on this community,” said Theriault. “But with this new festival, we hope to channel his passion to make an even-greater impact for the Sudbury Food Bank.”
Doors open at 1 p.m. show starts at 2 p.m. and admission is $10 at the door (no presale).
