Next Door
To
Motown
Story by
Shelley Divnich Haggert
Photos courtesy of
Owen B. Jones
Like sleeping with an elephant. That’s how former Prime Minister Trudeau once
described the United States’ impact on life in Canada. Though Trudeau may have been
referring to the politics of the day, the same can be said of almost any facet of life in Canada,
especially in a border town, and the music scene is no exception.
Any spotlight shone on the music of this area usually falls on Detroit, with its history of
jazz, blues and big band artists, and the later sounds of Motown and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s also
been home to great gospel acts and a world-renowned orchestra, not to mention the birth of
techno music. But look just outside the edges of the spotlight and you’ll find Windsor music
and Windsor musicians keeping a pretty strong beat of their own.