JIMMY BOWSKILL (Sept. 16 1990) (Guitarist/singer/songwriter) Jimmy Bowskill has been blowing audiences away worldwide. From the Ukraine to Japan he's left them begging for more and doing his country proud! Jimmy burst onto the scene on B.B.King's birthday of all times. They not only share the same birth date, but also the same laidback kindness, generosity, humbleness and respect for the music they play and the musicians who share the stage. Inspired by the late, great Robert Johnson, Jimmy taught himself to play and sing by interpreting by sight and sound but in his own natural style. At the tender age of 11, Jimmy was invited to join Jeff Healey onstage and has since become an international enigma. He has been selling out theatres, touring internationally and gaining a wide fan base. His music, though heavily blues influenced blurs the genres and captivates a young and new audience. He has performed at many major festivals worldwide such as The Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Mont Tremblant Blues Festival, France's Blues Sur Seine and Bay Car Festivals, Ukraine's Koktebel Festival, Toronto's Downtown Jazz Festival, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton and many more, including representing Canada at the World Exposition in Japan. Jimmy has been spotlighted on many national and regional television programs. Coverage on CTV's Open Mike with Mike Bullard, CTV National New's Success Story with Sandie Renaldo and CTV's Canada AM have all featured his rise in popularity and blues stardom. City TV's Breakfast Television also hosted the Jimmy Bowskill band as their musical guests, as well as The Toronto Show. Jimmy and his band performed on ZED TV, and are annual guests at CBC's Easter Seals Telethon. He was the musical guest on CBC's Bon Baisers De France and Musique Plus in Quebec. Jimmy has been featured in OWL Magazine and has been profiled by TV Ontario's "VOX" (Voice of Teens), YTV's Girls TV. CTV's Balance TV and TVO's Planet Parent and Studio Two. Jimmy was also featured on Cogeco Cable's A&E special, sharing the spotlight with local life altering celebrities. Jimmy's debut CD "Old Soul" was one of the top selling recordings for Festival Distribution, Canadianblues.ca and Iridescent Music. His most recent recording, Soap Bars & Dog Ears, was nominated for a Canadian JUNO Award. Jimmy has been featured on CBC's Metro Morning with Sonia Arab, CBC's Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers and CBC's Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean. Stuart then invited Jimmy as a guest on the 2004 Vinyl Café Christmas tour of 20 cities. His Juno nominated CD, Soap Bars & Dog Ears was also used by Seattle public radio to garner support during a recent pledge drive. Jimmy has had the privilege of opening and sharing the stage with such legends as Dickey Betts, ZZ Top, Jeff Healey, Garth Hudson and Deep Purple. ZZ's Billy Gibbons took special interest and invited Jimmy to join him for lunch after catching his performance... an honour Jimmy will never forget. So how does he sound? So, how does he sound? -One of the most spectacular performances (at Ukraine's Koktebel Jazz & Blues Festival) was by the 14-year-old Canadian boy wonder Jimmy Bowskill and his band. The opening chords showed that the boy is not simply a wunderkind but an exceptionally brilliant phenomenon in the world of jazz. His incredible guitar technique and his strong free-flowing vocal skills, along with his volcanic temperament, blew the audience away. -The Koktebel Resistance, UKRAINE - You did your country proud!!! - Rene Leblanc, Canadian Pavilion, World Exposition, JAPAN - "Jimmy is the best natural singer I've ever heard" - Colin James - "Jimmy Bowskill was on the right side of the stage and Healey was in the middle. It was kind of like seeing Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe getting to play on the same line at once" - The Night Scrawler, The Toronto Sun "This boy has everything it takes. Oh Lord, no kidding, the voice he's got and the way he plays, he's already there. I've never seen a kid like this sing like this before. That's the truth!" - Mr. Hubert Sumlin "Jimmy and his band are a powerfully cohesive unit that would be a tough act to follow on any festival stage and one that would have them swinging from the rafters in any blues club down south" - Al Kirkaldy, The Peterborough Examiner Jimmy Bowskill may not see himself as a child prodigy, but when you are under the age of 18 a child you still are. Jimmy is not your typical teen. Onstage his presence captures and commands your attention while his genuine true self engulfs you as he makes friends with his audience. He has confidence and stage presence way beyond his tender years and it seems an old bluesman's lifetime of performing skills in his bag of tools. Not a stranger to other instruments, Jimmy also plays harmonica, bass, banjo and piano. Jimmy Bowskill's future is bright with intense shades of blue. - Bruce Hall, Grand River Blues Society Back to top