Music Is Medicine

He's been touring nonstop since the 1960s and shows no sign of letting up.  Justin Hayward made his mark musically and made a name for himself as one of the frontmen for the celestial, psychedelic art rockers The Moody Blues, a band that has sold over 55 million albums to date.     Jamie West caught up with Justin Hayward in advance of an east coast solo tour of the U.S. and Canada, including a stop on May 28th this year at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall.       graphic design by Danica West

You must remember the K-Tel Records commercials and infomercials of the 60's, 70's, 80's and Beyond!All those fantastic compilation albums were full of hits from the top 40 and all those cool gadgets and household items like the Miracle Brush, Record Selector and Pocket Fisherman!!!As time passed, K-Tel developed a new line of musical products known as the Mini Pop Kids.    They've been touring all over Canada.In this episode, we get a historical perspective on K-Tel from founder Phil Kives' daughter Samantha who took over the business in 2006.   What a story K-Tel is,  not just in terms of music but in terms of entrepreneurial success.graphic design by Danica West

He's a musical artist completely dedicated to his songwriting and performing.  With both feet on the ground and boot heels that stomp to the beat of a hopeful song for a new day, Kristin Nicholls is the real deal.   A grassroots artist with decades of life's hard truths to inspire him.     This is the episode you need to hear at the start of a new year.    Check it out now as Kristin sits down in the Music Is Medicine studio with host Jamie West.  graphic design by Danica West

JUNO Award-winning fiddle virtuosos Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy hit the road in November and December with their seven kids for A Celtic Family Christmas from coast to coast.  They played marquee venues across Canada with their energetic and moving music.Natalie MacMaster is an Order of Canada recipient and has released 11 albums, won two JUNO awards, 11 East Coast Music Awards and has been nominated for a GRAMMY Award.   She's collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Jesse Cook, Alison Krauss and more.      Donnell Leahy is a 3-time JUNO Award winner, with the internationally acclaimed musical group Leahy.  He is widely recognized as one of the best Celtic fiddlers in the world.       You now get to find out what you didn't know about this power duo and as Jamie West found out there's much more to this wonderful couple than just music.graphic design by Danica West

Sass Jordan, Multi-Platinum selling Canadian rockin blues singing sonic siren has been at it for a long time and her new album Bitches Blues is one of her best yet.  Jamie West connected with her in October in what turned out to be arguably the most comprehensive, in-depth and honest interview Sass Jordan has ever done.    You'll hear Sass call bullshit on cancel culture and her view of the human condition in a post-pandemic world.    She talks about playing Janis Joplin on stage in NYC and she gets intensely personal and shares her memories of her dearly departed friend   Taylor Hawkins of The Foo Fighters.  This episode is a long one but a great one...graphic design by Danica West

Multi-award-winning, chart-topping, and multi-platinum selling guitarist Colin James recently released his 20th studio album via Stony Plain Records and it won his 2nd straight JUNO award for Blues Album of the Year following his 2019 win for Miles To Go.     In October of 2022 he connected with Music is Medicine Host, Jamie West and shared some insights into the open road that's been his career since the age of 13.     graphic design by Danica West