Hornby Island Blues Workshop

Gary sings, plays harmonica and keyboards and has performed the blues for many years. He first got hooked on the blues when he bought his first Muddy Waters record at the age of fourteen. Gary started performing blues in Toronto, learning from Morgan Davis, Don Walsh and Chris Whitely. Moving on, Gary became 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, Gary carved out a musical niche, 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. Gary plays a delicious mix of blues and boogie, both original and cover tunes, on the harmonica, keyboards and vocals. He has performed from Vancouver to Toronto, and from Detroit to the Caribbean. Over the years, Gary has shared the stage with Eric Burdon, James Cotton, Lee Oskar, Colin James, Dutch Mason, The Ray Charles Orchestra, Otis Rush, John Hammond and the late great blues master Junior Wells. Gary's harp playing is top notch and has been heard on TV and radio jingles as well as on the stage. After hearing Gary play harmonica, Junior Wells told him he was "Good... Damn good!"