Hornby Island Blues Workshop



Morgan Davis


The 2023 Hornby Island Workshop is going to be special with the first-time appearance of Morgan Davis. As most of you blues players would know Morgan Davis is a bluesman to the core who cut his chops in early 70s Toronto, where he learned directly from legends like Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin and Howlin' Wolf.

He can tell you stories about those days and delivers reminiscences about Bukka White, Johnny Shines and Sunnyland Slim. He is a lot like them as he says "All these guys, man; so humble and no rock star attitude. Anybody in the world can walk up and talk to these guys. And if you love their music, it just flips them out."

At the Hornby Blues Workshop students often talk of the blues road warrior - the musician who spends long stretches on the road and plays non-stop gigs. We have heard it said Davis is really a road gladiator and Davis still works the road each year maybe not as hard as he did when he was in his mid-sixties playing more than 100 gigs over just over 100 nights. You get the picture Morgan Davis on the road with no roadie backing him up, he does all the driving himself, subsisting on road food and living in those cheap motels. That's the holy tradition.

"It's always been grown-up music that tells the truth. Anything I've gotta say, I can say with the blues," Davis says.

Morgan Davis has owned the space between entertainer and blues professor, who has won his share of Maple Blues and Junos, but watching him and listening to him is a history lesson of not only blues music, but also a history of a bluesman's life. The opportunity to learn from him has finally arrived at the Hornby Blues Workshop. Don't miss it.




2023 Instructors