Biography

NEW RELEASE Lightning Fried #1 on Blues411

"as unique as Johnny Cash and solid as a rock, full of surprises on all levels" Blues411

Having played on numerous recording projects across the past five decades, Reno Jack has now launched his first recording on Hwy 11 Records. This collection of ten originals and five covers showcase his favorite subjects and genres.

The originals cover his favorite subjects of history, events and situations. The title track “Lightning Fried” is a quick blues rock tune narrating the horror that a tornado can wreak on land, with amazing chicken like harmonica. “Salt” is a rock and roll tune, and a story of how the additive can affect the body. “Gee Oogle It Baby” a slow city blues tune tackle the internet influence on modern life. “20th Century” is a folk song narrating just that. “Blue Ball Boil” and “Daddio”, both country songs, take a look at the world, society’s foibles. “For A Little While” a jazz piece speaks of the period of time when love is rich before it sours.

Reno’s rendition of his favorite cover songs include “Trying To Get To You” by Elvis. Arthur Alexander’s “Baby This Baby That” is one of Reno’s audience favorites. Herald Nix’s “Such a Funny Little Thing”, Handsome Ned’s “That’ll Be The Love” and Johnny Lovesin’s “Slow Dancing” are all tunes that Reno has performed during his career by artists and friends that he has played with.

Musicians from the United States Watermelon Slim (multiple WC Handy Awards on Dobro and Harmonica), Robert Hughes (Teeny Tucker Band on guitar) and Janelle Frost (piano) have joined Canadian musicians Rusty McCarthy (Mary Margarent O’hara on numerous instruments) Cleave Anderson (Blue Rodeo on drums), David West (on guitar), Shelley Coopersmith (on violin) Johnny Lovesin (on guitar) and Sunday Wilde (on backup vocals) to help bring the music alive. Producers Rusty McCarthy, Reno Jack and Sunday wilde.

It’s been said Reno possesses a voice of barbed wire wrapped in velvet. He employs shades of Rock and Roll, Country and Western, Folk , Honky Tonk and Rhythm and Blues woven into his own style accompanied by dry witted lyrics in an effort to provoke thoughtful thought. Reno has produced the past few Sunday wilde albums and will be touring this summer and planning another recording this fall at a hunting and fishing lodge outside of Atikokan, Ontario.

BIOGRAPHY

Reno Jack the bear is a unique voice and a story teller of matters of the earth, history, and the mind. His voice has been described as barbed wire wrapped in velvet and he tells tales with a multitude of musical genres from blues to country to jazz to folk. Reno is a singer songwriter and producer from Canada, with many years of performing in various bands from across the country.

As Reno is fond of saying he was born in the fifties, schooled in the sixties and survivor of the seventies. In 1980 Reno at the time known as Jack the Bear joined Herald Nix playing bass along with Mike Van Eyes and Russ Young which was part of the rockabilly craze that swept western Canada releasing an 8 song 12” 45 rpm record One Night Only, denizens of the Railway Club in Vancouver highlight moment opening for the Clash during that time. After four years he moved to Toronto and joined the Handsome Neds denizens of The Cameron Public House continuing in the vein of Country and Western music under the genre that became known as Cowpunk releasing the 7” 45 In Spite Of The Danger. The B side Ain’t No Room for Cheating gained traction on main stream country commercial radio. Two years later and six months before the tragic death of Handsome Ned the Neds disbanded and Reno joined up with Chris Houston for a short time then formed The Boneheads with Frank Nevada but soon drifted and began to freelance playing bass with various Queen Street bands in the same genre but was then labelled roots music culminating in the formation of a band named High Lonesome with Pat Temple in 1988 for a couple of years.

After a decade that saw barroom bands transform from covers to original music Reno decided to form his own band along with Johnny MacLeod The Jack Family. This was a group populated by musicians who a had a night free to play and jammed out whichever song chosen by whoever was singing whatever they chose to sing. Unrehearsed, free floating each member choosing an alias with the last name Jack performing throughout Toronto headquartered out of the famed Rex Hotel Jazz Bar just having fun away from the pressures of presenting original music. Musicians such as Big Sugar leadman Gordie Johnson {Sweet Jack}, Willie P. Bennet {Half Tone Jack}, Al Cross {Bunk Everyone Drums Jack} to name a few were members.

Reno at the same time played bass for many other bands including Johnnie Lovesin, Kim Doolittle, The Razorbacks, The Corndogs, Cadillac Bill and the Creeping Bent, The Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation to name a few over the next twenty years.

In 2005 Reno met Sunday Wilde and the two formed a partnership that has remained to this day. Kindred spirits rooted in blues on her part and traditional country on his. Together they have become a team culminating in the formation of a record company named Hwy. 11 Records. Reno producing Sunday’s last two CDs {2012} He Gave Me a Blue Nightgown and {2014} He Digs Me as well as being the in house soundman for the Women in Blues International Live at Hopson’s Sessions on which she represented Canada.