Dubbed “the goddess of Canadian Blues,” highly acclaimed roots and blues artist Rita Chiarelli has struck again.
Home-grown from Hamilton, Ont., Chiarelli has just been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Heritage Award of Distinction for Arts, Culture and Entertainment by Festitalia Hamilton.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Chiarelli continues to tour in North America and Europe and is a veteran and featured artist at this year’s 21st Annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, which runs Aug. 16 to 18.
Over the past decade, Chiarelli has won every major Canadian blues award, including multiple Maple Blues awards, CBCs Great Canadian Blues Award, Toronto Independent Music Awards, Hamilton Music Awards, Manitoba Blues Society and the Hamilton Blues Society’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Most recently Chiarelli was awarded the prestigious Maple Blues ‘Blues With A Feeling Award’ for Lifetime Achievement.
As if creating beautiful music wasn’t enough, Chiarelli has entered the film world and has recently released the soundtrack for her award-winning documentary, Music From The Big House – which is her ninth recorded album.
Music From The Big House takes Chiarelli on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues, the Angola Prison, Louisiana State’s maximum security penitentiary.
This musical journey is a glance into what used to be the bloodiest prison in America, but now gives lifers something to live for through the power of music. In contrast to sensational stories of convicts, we witness remarkable voices of hope as their love of music radiates humanity and redemption on their quest for forgiveness.
Chiarelli never imagined that her love of the blues would lead her to a historic jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences for murder, rape and armed robbery. But their shared bond of music, and Chiarelli’s vivacious personality draw striking revelations from the inmates.
To order tickets, visit www.rootsandblues.ca or call 250-833-4096. Early-bird tickets are on sale until May 31. Day tickets are not available until June 1.