Hornby Island Blues Workshop

Junior Wells said that Gary Preston is a damn good harp player, so it should come as no surprise that Gary is a regular headliner at the Harmonica Blast at Vancouver’s home of R & B, The Yale Hotel. Gary is an energetic and engaging entertainer who plays a delicious mix of blues and boogie on harmonica, keyboards and vocals. The music is undeniably blues-based, yet shifts effortlessly between classic blues, originals, and jazzy blues seasoned with a touch of Latin spice. Gary has often been featured on CBC radio, and at major festivals across Canada and has performed his music from Vancouver to Toronto, California, Detroit and the Caribbean. And along with Anita Bonkowski, he has been on three tours of Europe. Gary started performing blues in Toronto, learning from Morgan Davis, Don Walsh and Chris Whiteley. He was next an integral part of a great Winnipeg blues scene, playing with Big Dave McLean, Clyde Roulette, Brent Parkin and others. With his move to the West Coast he has carved out a musical niche here, first with the fondly remembered Gary Preston & the Harpoons, then with The Bill Johnson Band, and now with Preston & Bonkowski and The Gary Preston Band.

garypreston.ca