Hornby Island Blues Workshop

Dalannah Gail Bowen has been a vocalist for forty years. Her life as a musician started in 1965 with the Feminine Touch when she worked for the great Frank Wiener who operated the well-known venue The Hungry Eye in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This all-girl band worked the circuit and had their first big gig after just three months opening for The Monkees. They were the opening act, on many occasions, for The Guess Who and toured Canada and the United States.

Dalannah spent time in San Francisco and Oakland, playing with musicians as diverse as Carl Lockett, the Sy Klopps Blues Band (Steve Miller's rhythm section) and Grammy-award winner Dr. Ed Kelly. Dalannah, then know as Gail, went on the road later with the Colored Rain and ended up in Edmonton where the band worked the club scene with Papa Bear's Medicine Show, Black Snake Blues Band, The Privilege, Taj Mahal and a newly-formed band out of England called Led Zeppelin.

In 1976, Dalannah came to Vancouver where her special style of blues and jazz were well received. Performances included venues like The Cave, The Commodore, Oil Can Harry’s and Rohan's. In 1977, working with the late Gary Switlo, Paul Hovan and Betty Chabba, Dalannah was part of a project called “Ladies In Lights” which profiled women in music.

"Ladies in Lights" was the first television/radio simulcast in Vancouver history, but this event also had another purpose. It was a benefit for The Children’s Christmas Stocking Fund. The impact on Dalannah was immediate and since then she has dedicated her life to addressing social issues through music. For 25 years, Dalannah has created & produced musical signature events that raise funds for charitable organizations. Socials issues such as anti-apartheid, poverty, health, childrens needs, the aboriginal elders and people in need have all benefited from funds raised by Dalannah through musical endeavors.

Dalannah Gail Bowen has received an honorary Juno for her work, an International Women’s Day Award and many other acknowledgements. In 2005, The Yale Hotel honored her with a reception for her community work as a musical activist.

Dalannah was a recent nominee for the prestigious Minerva Foundation’s “Women In Music” award. We look forward to Dalannah's first appearance at The Hornby Island Blues Workshop.

dalannahgailbowen.com