THE SUE WATSON BAND
Vocals: Sue Watson
Bass: Sandra Caputi
Drums: David Campbell
Guitar: Cameron Blair
Bass: Sandra Caputi
Drums: David Campbell
Guitar: Cameron Blair
Something Entirely Extraordinary
Time moves like a rocket. Each day adds another day. Weeks accelerate into months and fast years, until the realization that decades have streaked by before our eyes. The decades bring high points and miracles of nature where people come together, and bond, and create something entirely extraordinary.
The Sue Watson Band was just that.
In October of 1997, while attending Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Cameron Blair posted an ad for band members. He envisioned a fusion of blues, R&B, funk, and Jazz, influenced by some of the musicians he had played with in the London, Ontario music scene a few years earlier. Sue Watson responded to the ad for the singing position. Blair was impressed with her bold “this is who I am, and if you don’t like what I do then screw off” attitude. Her voice had a mature, blues/jazz quality, which was exactly what he was looking for. He knew she would have a strong stage presence. She was also open to new ideas and embraced Blair’s original songs.
Blair and Watson met a few times to jam and work out a few song arrangements. Watson introduced Blair to husband and wife Dave Campbell and Sandra Caputi. They were a perfect fit the drummer and bass player roles. Blair had envisioned having a drummer who could play intricate syncopated jazz-fusion type rhythms and resist the temptation to destroy cymbals like many of the rock drummers he had met who would shred their symbols into shards of broken brass. Campbell was the best drummer around with over 30 years of experience. His timing was impeccable and his coordination and skill in a variety of styles was jaw-dropping. Caputi had been playing bass for a short time, however she was a super-fast learner. With an ear for music, she was able to adapt quickly to a number of cover songs, and to originals of Blair and Watson as well. The four began rehearsing regularly in Campbell and Caputi’s basement music studio.
The band was initially called “Milkbone”. The name was funky, and grabbed attention. A lot of people liked it, but the band was leery of having the same name as a dog treat and one that might be in use already by another band. The name was soon changed to “The Sue Watson Band”, celebrating Watson’s distinctive voice and her stage presence.
The Sue Watson Band played at "The Office" and at Lakehead University’s "Outpost", where acts such as "The Tea Party", "Wide Mouth Mason", and "Big Sugar" performed while passing through Thunder Bay on cross-Canada tours. In January 1999, the band recorded a CD at The Barn Recording Studio, in Thunder Bay, Ontario with a mix of original and cover songs. The CD was engineered by David Steen, and mixed and mastered by Bogdan Blazevic.
While members of The Sue Watson Band have moved on to other places, other bands, careers, and raising families, the recordings live on. The band has a rock sound reminiscent of the psychedelic music era. Anyone who loves the fusion of blues, R&B, funk, jazz and rock from the 1960’s and 1970’s will love The Sue Watson Band’s sound. Younger generations looking for something raw and different will be moved by the sounds of The Sue Watson Band too!
The Sue Watson Band was just that.
In October of 1997, while attending Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Cameron Blair posted an ad for band members. He envisioned a fusion of blues, R&B, funk, and Jazz, influenced by some of the musicians he had played with in the London, Ontario music scene a few years earlier. Sue Watson responded to the ad for the singing position. Blair was impressed with her bold “this is who I am, and if you don’t like what I do then screw off” attitude. Her voice had a mature, blues/jazz quality, which was exactly what he was looking for. He knew she would have a strong stage presence. She was also open to new ideas and embraced Blair’s original songs.
Blair and Watson met a few times to jam and work out a few song arrangements. Watson introduced Blair to husband and wife Dave Campbell and Sandra Caputi. They were a perfect fit the drummer and bass player roles. Blair had envisioned having a drummer who could play intricate syncopated jazz-fusion type rhythms and resist the temptation to destroy cymbals like many of the rock drummers he had met who would shred their symbols into shards of broken brass. Campbell was the best drummer around with over 30 years of experience. His timing was impeccable and his coordination and skill in a variety of styles was jaw-dropping. Caputi had been playing bass for a short time, however she was a super-fast learner. With an ear for music, she was able to adapt quickly to a number of cover songs, and to originals of Blair and Watson as well. The four began rehearsing regularly in Campbell and Caputi’s basement music studio.
The band was initially called “Milkbone”. The name was funky, and grabbed attention. A lot of people liked it, but the band was leery of having the same name as a dog treat and one that might be in use already by another band. The name was soon changed to “The Sue Watson Band”, celebrating Watson’s distinctive voice and her stage presence.
The Sue Watson Band played at "The Office" and at Lakehead University’s "Outpost", where acts such as "The Tea Party", "Wide Mouth Mason", and "Big Sugar" performed while passing through Thunder Bay on cross-Canada tours. In January 1999, the band recorded a CD at The Barn Recording Studio, in Thunder Bay, Ontario with a mix of original and cover songs. The CD was engineered by David Steen, and mixed and mastered by Bogdan Blazevic.
While members of The Sue Watson Band have moved on to other places, other bands, careers, and raising families, the recordings live on. The band has a rock sound reminiscent of the psychedelic music era. Anyone who loves the fusion of blues, R&B, funk, jazz and rock from the 1960’s and 1970’s will love The Sue Watson Band’s sound. Younger generations looking for something raw and different will be moved by the sounds of The Sue Watson Band too!
MUSIC STORE
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Originals of The Sue Watson Band are available now, directly from online distributors and streaming services including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, and iTunes among others (Search for The Sue Watson Band on the web browser or within apps).
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Track Previews
*Song lyrics for "I Live in the North", "I Like to Roam", and "Songs of Love", are included in the "Lyrical Verse" section of the book "Sea of Words, Waves of Time" by Cameron Blair, available fall 2020 through FriesenPress and other major book distributors. www.cblairbooks.com
MUSIC VIDEOS
Follow the link below to the Band's Official YouTube Channel and watch our video creations. See if you can find all of the Easter eggs in "I Live in the North". Be sure to Like and/or Subscribe if you can, or otherwise simply watch and enjoy!