Diana Braithwaite
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Diana Braithwaite
| image = Diana_Braithwaite.jpg
| caption = Diana Braithwaite, May 2014
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| birth_name =
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| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| genre = Electric blues, country, jazz
| occupation = Singer, songwriter, screenwriter
| years_active = 1990s–present
| label = Various including Electro-Fi Records
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|http://hotblues.ca/|hotblues.ca}}
}}
Diana Braithwaite is a Canadian electric blues singer, songwriter and screenwriter. She is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner. More recently she has teamed up with Chris Whiteley and they have been acclaimed as "blues icons" by the Toronto Star, and collectively have won nine Maple Blues Awards and had six Juno Award nominations. Although they are little known in the United States, Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley are mainstays of the Canadian blues scene.{{cite web|url=http://www.bigcitybluesmag.com/Ad_Images4-15/CD-Reviews-4-15.html|title=Big City Blues|website=Bigcitybluesmag.com|access-date=8 June 2016}}
Life and career
Braithwaite is a Black Canadian and a descendant of the Wellington County, Ontario, pioneers. Her ancestors escaped slavery in America through the Underground Railroad, and lived in the first African-Canadian pioneer settlement in Ontario.{{cite web|url=http://www.registrytheatre.com/diana-braithwaite-chris-whiteley/|title=Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley – The Registry Theatre|website=Registrytheatre.com|access-date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924222535/http://www.registrytheatre.com/diana-braithwaite-chris-whiteley/|archive-date=24 September 2016|url-status=dead}} She was born and grew up in Toronto, as the second youngest of six children of Bob and Rella Braithwaite.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2349454/bio|title=Diana Braithwaite|website=IMDb.com|access-date=8 June 2016}} She began performing professionally as a singer-songwriter in her teenage years, and opened for John Lee Hooker in Toronto, before touring as Albert Collins's opening act. In 1999, Braithwaite performed at Lilith Fair. In the same year, she released her debut album, In This Time.
Her solo shows have seen her share the stage with Mel Brown, T-Model Ford, and Jeff Healey, and she issued a single in the UK and Europe entitled, "Rollin' and Tumblin'".
Braithwaite performs with multi-instrumentalist Chris Whiteley.{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteandwhiteley.com/|title=Braithwaite & Whiteley|website=Braithwaiteandwhiteley.com|access-date=8 June 2016}} The duo recorded live at BBC Radio in London, England, with Bob Hall. Braithwaite and Whiteley have often worked together over the years, and in 2007 they released the album Morning Sun, a collection of original songs penned in a musical styling reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s.{{cite web|url=http://hellodarlinproductions.com/chris_and_diana.htm|title=Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite|website=Hellodarlinproductions.com|access-date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207093619/http://www.hellodarlinproductions.com/chris_and_diana.htm|archive-date=7 February 2007|url-status=usurped}} It was issued by Electro-Fi Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.electrofi.com/bio_braith_whiteley.html|title=Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley|website=Electrofi.com|access-date=8 June 2016}}
They then toured North America, Europe, and the UK. Night Bird Blues (2009) had a five-week promotional tour in the UK, Russia, and Europe. The album peaked at number 2 on XM Satellite Radio.{{cite web|url=https://borealisrecords.com/artists/chris-whiteley/|title=Chris Whiteley |website=Borealisrecords.com|access-date=8 June 2016}} The follow-up release, Deltaphonic, reached number 1 on the same network. They performed at the Great British R & B Festival in Colne, Lancashire, England, in 2011,{{cite web|url=http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/greatbritishrnb/2011|title=Great British R & B Festival 2011|website=Efestivals.co.uk|access-date=8 June 2016}} and the Monaghan Harvest Blues Festival in Ireland, plus the Hudson River Park Blues Festival in New York City, and had appearances on National Public Radio.{{cite web|url=http://www.braithwaiteandwhiteley.com/bio.html|title=Braithwaite & Whiteley Bio|website=Braithwaiteandwhiteley.com|access-date=8 June 2016}}
Their fifth joint album, Blues Stories, was released by Big City Blues Records in 2014. It contained a mixture of original songs and cover versions of older numbers.{{cite web|url=http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/diana-braithwaite-chris-whiteley-blues-stories-album-review/|title=Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley – Blues Stories – Album Review – Blues Blast Magazine|website=Bluesblastmagazine.com|date=26 January 2015 |access-date=8 June 2016}}
Awards
Braithwaite and Whiteley were named "Songwriter of the Year" at the 13th Maple Blues Awards.{{cite web |url=http://blues.about.com/od/bluesawards/a/MapleBlues2010.htm |title=Toronto Blues Society's 13th Annual Maple Blues Awards 2010 – Winners of the Toronto Blues Society's 13th Annual Maple Blues Awards 2010 |website=Blues.about.com |date= |access-date=8 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922232037/http://blues.about.com/od/bluesawards/a/MapleBlues2010.htm |archive-date=22 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}
Braithwaite is also the winner of the African-American Women in the Arts Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/diana-braithwaite-mn0000528985/biography|title=Diana Braithwaite – Biography & History |publisher=AllMusic|access-date=8 June 2016}}
Films
Braithwaite's film, Underground to Canada, aired on national television. Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad, a 1994 film produced by Atlantis Films was nominated for a CableACE Award. Her songs, "Bad Luck Man" and "Blame It on the Bourbon", were featured on the soundtrack Gracie, which won a Gemini Award for Best Short Drama. Survivors was nominated for a Gemini Award and won the Golden Sheaf Award for 'best musical score'.
Family
Her mother, Rella Braithwaite (née Aylestock), has written a number of books on African-Canadian history.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWLFi2w_nKQC|title=Talking About Freedom: Celebrating Emancipation Day in Canada|first=Natasha L.|last=Henry|date=7 January 2012|page=46|publisher=Dundurn |isbn=9781459700499|access-date=8 June 2016}}
See also
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year || Title || Record label || Credited to | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | In This Time | style="text-align:center;"|Aural Tradition Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite |
| 2007 | Morning Sun | style="text-align:center;"|Electro-Fi Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2009 | Night Bird Blues | style="text-align:center;"|Electro-Fi Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2010 | Deltaphonic | style="text-align:center;"|Electro-Fi Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2013 | Scrap Metal Blues | style="text-align:center;"|Electro-Fi Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2014 | Blues Stories | style="text-align:center;"|Big City Blues Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2016 | Blues Country | style="text-align:center;"|Big City Blues Records | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
| 2018 | I Was Telling Him About You | style="text-align:center;"|Download only | style="text-align:center;"|Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://hotblues.ca/}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whB6FN_YMVA Video of Braithwaite and Whiteley performing "Rollin' and Tumblin'"]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braithwaite, Diana}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century Black Canadian women singers
Category:21st-century Canadian women singers
Category:Screenwriters from Toronto
Category:Electric blues musicians
Category:Canadian blues singers
Category:Canadian women songwriters
Category:Canadian women screenwriters