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community 1998 has been a bit unusual for the footloose Baldry, w h o has made it his custom to spend March through July of each year doing a series of dates across Europe.This year, he is saving a European tour for September and has concentrated on a series of shows throughout the United States and, of course, Deep C o v e . W h i l e he admits to enjoying tending the garden at his Kitsilano home, Baldry is quick to point out that the life of a travelling musician still holds the same appeal, even after four decades in the business. "If I had to stop, it might be the end of me," he says emphatically. Above & opposite page: Long John Baldry. many proteges from the hard-scrabble British blues clubs, including a certain Rod Stewart and someone w n o u s e t firmly on the future, the traditional bluesman envisions a day very soon when he will be able ply his trade doing the cartoon voice of Nilus the Sandman by satellite link from his country home to a studio half a continent away. "But then, I would have to give up staying in five-star hotels and flying first-class, all-expenses-paid," he laughs. Baldry says he has no firm plans for his next album, but hints he may participate next year in a planned 50th anniversary tribute to the legendary Leadbelly. H e is also being encouraged to consider doing another " p o p slanted" project, which Baldry says he would love to do if he can find a way to fund it "without paying for it all" himself. W i t h a Juno award for best blues/gospel album on the mantle from several years back, it's not likely Baldry will be setting aside that unique art form anytime soon. In fact, the man who gave many hungry young musicians their first big break singles out the w o r k of the current crop of dynamic young artists, many of w h o have clearly been influenced by the blues tradition, including Ben Harper, Rufus Wainwright, and The Wallflower's Jakob Dylan. For his part, Long John Baldry will simply keep doing what he does best, singing the blues with purity and style, and those of us fortunate enough to take in one or all of his upcoming acoustic nights at the Deep C o v e Cultural Centre are guaranteed a night to remember. Long John Baldry's fund-raising concerts for the Deep Cove Cultural Centre are Wednesday, July 22, through Saturday, July 25. All shows are at 8 pm at the Deep Cove ShawThealre, 4360 Gallant Avenue. Tickets are $20. Reservations by Visa at 929-9456. 0 Baldry's travels brought him to Vancouver and environs during the 1960s and 1970s ("It was nirvana to me"), but he did not make the permanent move until 1985, just before Expo '86 brought the world to British Columbia's doorstep, finally making it possible, he says with a chuckle, to have a fine restaurant meal on a Sunday instead of finding j t o g 0 by the name of Reginald Dwight until he decided a combination of John Baldry's and fellow musician Elton Dean's first names had a better ring to it. NORTH VANCOUVER RECREATION C O M M I S S I O N everything closed, as was the case when he first came to town.The transplanted Brit even professes a love for the rain. W h i l e he loves city life and everything it has to offer, including a thriving music career and numerous opportunities to do commercial and animation voice-overs, Baldry confesses that he sometimes finds himself "looking longingly" at pulling up stakes one day and relo- Çumrn^v Programs Y AHAy+V KIDS, TEENÇ &MÇINGÇTARÇ! DELBROOK recCENTRE A r t - R a g e o u s Art Camp Musical Theatre C a m p s S i n g i n g & A c t i n g Lessons ·Çov LONSDALE recCENTRE C r a z y C r e a t u r e s Art W e e k A w e s o m e A n i m a t e d Art A W e e k of W a t e r c o l o u r F a b u l o u s Fables & Art Art & Tennis C a m p s E CENTENNIAL THEATRE Combination Camps Music Theatre L^Piano Singing Art & Tennis C a l l 9 8 7 - P L A Y ( 7 5 2 9 ) for further i n f o r m a t i o n i cating to a nice country place in the BC Interior, perhaps around Shuswap Lake.With an eye David Marnoch is a freelance Vancouver writer who would never dream of trying to lay no boogie-woogie on the king of Rock and Roll.