Amos Garrett

Detroit native Amos Garrett began working as a professional guitarist north of the border in Toronto. There he played with <a href="spotify:artist:1mWttvSpRiViBK6gJ5XC34">the Dirty Shames</a>, a folk jug band, before moving on to the country-rock-oriented <a href="spotify:artist:7C8ltGZWsR8eiQJ32N6G6e">Great Speckled Bird</a> at the invitation of <a href="spotify:artist:20UltlhZa5iKdeQeEpdiX9">Ian</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1glGHFu5fTfJN0yJHm0B5a">Sylvia Tyson</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:2VUiF0VFkXzB0DLg9AzrqT">Maria Muldaur</a>'s "Midnight at the Oasis" featured his guitar playing, as did <a href="spotify:artist:7d7q5Y1p2QWS4QRAhTQR5E">Anne Murray</a>'s "Snowbird." Other artists who utilized his talent include <a href="spotify:artist:7guDJrEfX3qb6FEbdPA5qi">Stevie Wonder</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5s6TJEuHTr9GR894wc6VfP">Emmylou Harris</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0LQrsY8CFvCyUAqAtiiVxw">Jesse Winchester</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1iQbAecYvKMXhpaFg7oSRq">Paul Butterfield</a>. His studio work led him to California, and he continued to record with other artists. Later, with the Eh Team backing him, Garrett also put out his own recordings, more than half a dozen, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stony+Plain+Records%22">Stony Plain Records</a>. In 1989, his album The Return of the Formerly Brothers, garnered a Juno Award. The release also featured <a href="spotify:artist:27dc3ZZFri3i6g00oFdfpg">Gene Taylor</a> (formerly of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Downchild%22">Downchild</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5dr7fkIRO4K14g7U8SCue5">the Blasters</a>, and later <a href="spotify:artist:6zmLTiN3NBNCDECRbbJKkT">the Fabulous Thunderbirds</a>) and <a href="spotify:artist:2PL6uHCPVIWjmr6lK2U9pG">Doug Sahm</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:2Z3KO9HRnuLNx4gwGByB1t">the Texas Tornados</a>. Garrett and the Eh Team continue to play night spots in Canada; he resided in Alberta. He toured Japan in 1990 with stops in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. The concerts there found their way onto a live album in 2001.

Garrett released Acoustic Album in 2004, which featured his instrument in a meld of swing, country, blues, and American Songbook standards, while he continued to tour.

In 2004, he employed a full band and released one of his finest offerings in Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield, which featured unique yet respectful interpretations of 11 of the blues songwriter’s tunes. Garrett toured the album at festivals across three continents.

With most of his time spent touring, Garrett didn’t release another album for five years. When he did, it was a concert recording entitled Jazzblues with his trio -- guitarist Keith Smith and string bassist Greg Carroll. The album also featured guest vocal performances from <a href="spotify:artist:495jlbcgCJgUELSE2bAMEd">Roberta Donnay</a> and John Hyde. It was followed two years later by Guitar Heroes and another live date that featured him co-billed with axe slingers <a href="spotify:artist:2RAajwxQybgx0iIibcGHLo">James Burton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3YMlcBYj21DcMALlALTO7m">Albert Lee</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3BTGj5kBXwkmm8M3vMbypx">David Wilcox</a>. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi