ARCHIVES Diana Braithwaite Main Stage - June 10, 2006 Diana Braithwaite, a powerful soulful singer, is also a first rate songwriter and a Gemini Award-winning scriptwriter. Her latest cd, Blues Dance, which features 10 of her compositions, has some of Toronto’s finest musicians on board including Dougie Richardson (sax), Kingsley Ettienne and Denis Daoust (keys), Alec Fraser(bass), Jack de Keyzer (guitar), Ed White (drums) and Armando Borg (percussion). Diana also teamed with Daoust to produce the disc. Braithwaite has proven to be a traditionalist who’s not afraid to experiment. Accordingly, Blues Dance, her 3rd recording to date, should appeal to Blues traditionalists as well as listeners who appreciate an artist who stretches the form. Cuts such as “Train” and “Tow The Line” are straight-ahead Blues; “Rockin’ Nubian” is rockin’ Blues; “Fallin’ Rain is rooted in spirituals; “Groovy” is funky and jazzy; and “Blues Dance”, a tribute to the giants of the Blues, incorporates African rhythms. In addition to recording, Diana has performed at prestigious festivals and clubs around the world sharing bills with John Lee Hooker, Jeff Healey, Albert Collins and Robert Cray among others. And, in 1999, she sang for a crowd of 18,000 at Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre, as part of Lilith Fair. Braithwaite, who grew up surrounded by a musical family, started singing gospel and country Blues at the age of five, performing at churches and hospitals in a trio with her two older brothers. Her mother is a writer and following in her mother’s footsteps, Braithwaite has written for theatre and film with her script for the film Gracie winning a Gemini Award. Diana sees a parallel between scriptwriting and songwriting. “Once you’re a writer, whatever medium you choose, you’re always doing the same thing. It’s about telling a good story. You can do it with a song or you can do it with a play”. Hear a sampling of Diana Braithwaite’s stories in song on the Main Stage on Saturday June 10th. Don't forget to visit Diana Braithwaite's website... Website: www.dianabraithwaite.com