Gary Martin Left and Sam Lay(Right) Black History Month Calgary
By Len Chan The Afro News Calgary
The Black History Foundation of Canada during Black History Month was pleased to have brought in Blues Hall of Famer Sam Lay. Sam Lay was born in 1935 and began as a Drummer in Cleveland and in1954 working with the Moon Dog Combo, In 1959 in Chicago he worked with the Legendary Little Walter.
Sam Lay backed up Bob Dylan at the historic 1965 Newport Folk Festival when Dylan first introduced Electric -Rock to the Folk Crowd. He went on to record with Dylan on Highway 61 Revisited..
Lay was also the original Drummer for the James Cotton Blues Band. Lay was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1992 and was recently inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland. His Accomplishments are too numerous to mention but reading the above is just part of his lifetime career. In Calgary Gary Martin of the Heavenly Blues Band and one of the Funk Bros. held a special Recognition Nite for Lay at the Crossroads Community Hall. A special Portrait was presented to Lay painted by Earl Klatzel, Internationally Acclaimed Painter.
During his stay in Calgary at the Cantos Music Foundation (Friends of the King Eddy) held a series of Workshops and for those attending the Awards Night was a Dream Come True to meet one of the Greatest in the Blues World. Lay was also the First person in 1965 to play the Blues at the King Eddy Hotel. His workshop was to learn what he is famous for King of the Shuffle.
Even at his age when entering the stage, one can see He is Young at Heart and great musicians such as Lay never lose that Golden Touch. Lay, in the Photo can be seen holding that Special Portrait of Himself while Funk Bros. Gary Martin of the Heavenly Blues Band wants a word from him after presenting Lay with the Special Painting of Himself.
