BIOGRAPHY
AL LERMAN is a lifelong musician with a highly personal style. With a great knowledge of the blues tradition on both harmonica and guitar, he brings that sensibility to songs that he's written about his own contemporary life and times. His soulful delivery, coupled with wry and thoughtful songwriting, make him an engaging and compelling solo performer. He is equally at home playing an intimate house concert as he on a large festival stage. Easy going with a wonderful sense of humour, he is considered among the top harmonica players in the country, and has been heard on countless recordings and live sessions.
Lerman was founder/leader of the much-loved band FATHEAD and led them from 1992-2016, garnering two JUNO AWARDS. After years of writing for FATHEAD as well as his own solo recordings, he has amassed an impressive legacy of songs. He is also a long time member of the renowned Maple Blues Band.
Al has been nominated for twenty-nine Maple Blues/Canadian Blues Music Awards, celebrating his work as a harmonica player, songwriter, acoustic act and more. His latest release is called “Country-Fried Blues” .
THE EARLY YEARS: Al was around 12 years old when he was first taken to see the famed duo Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee at Toronto’s iconic Riverboat coffeehouse. His burgeoning interest in music immediately skyrocketed. Over the years he saw the duo no less than forty times. In his teens he would soon discover many other blues greats who were regularly touring through the city. Beginning in the early 1970s while playing in local Toronto blues bands such as Backtrack, Ginhouse, Grizzly Bear and Mondo Combo, he sought out many of his musical heroes, seeking both advice and inspiration. Later on, he also worked for several years in a duo with Morgan Davis, and has since appeared on several of his albums. Al considers himself extremely fortunate to have sat in with blues giants such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Sunnyland Slim, Paul Butterfield, Albert Collins, and many more. A solid friendship ensued with Chicago harmonica player Carey Bell who mentored him on the instrument.
Hearing Al now, there is no doubt he learned his lessons well. He has played this forward and often hosts instructional harmonica workshops at various festivals and music camps across the country. A solid fixture on the blues & roots scene for over fifty years, music not only runs through his veins, it is embedded deep into his bones.
REVIEWS OF “COUNTRY-FRIED BLUES”:
"For his fifth solo album “Country Fried Blues”, legendary Canadian Bluesman Al Lerman gathered together some of the best musicians in Canada, and spent three days in rural Ontario, recording 13 songs live off the floor. The rocking, harmonica-driven album - sprinkled with a handful of tasty covers - is the best work of Lerman's storied career, and the leading contender for album of the year!"
-Brent Morrison, The Rockin' Blues Show
"Al Lerman has been a long-time mainstay on the Canadian Blues scene. Included in his noteworthy resume is a 24 year stretch as founder / leader of the always soulful, two-time Juno Award winning band, Fathead, (1992-2016). Over time Lerman has shown himself to be a fine songwriter while laying his claim as one of the best harp players in the country.
It was shortly after the dissolution of Fathead, that Lerman embarked on a solo career as kind of a one-man band. In doing so, he expertly matched his rack harmonica with (primarily) acoustic guitar, and “authentic” vocals on superb well crafted songs. On record, Lerman fleshed out his sound with mostly full band efforts by recruiting talented musicians in his sphere to help get the message out.
Lerman’s latest, (his 5th), release, Country-Fried Blues, builds all on that came before to deliver – in this writer’s opinion – his best record to date. Utilizing Jimmy Bowskill’s studio – a converted farm house that supplied the vibe – Lerman and an unmatched supporting cast lay down 13 numbers, counting 9 Lerman originals. “C-FB” is primarily an off-the-floor recording with minimal overdubs. For those in need of categorization the release is a Blues / Roots / Americana amalgam provided in a generous 47plus minutes of soul satisfying music.
What can’t be overstated is the overriding natural, organic feel of the entire session. Nothing is forced; nothing is overplayed. For example, if a number calls for a mandolin; it’s added in a supportive role. In short, songs are allowed to breathe, and make their mark or leave an impression based on their own respective merits.
Highlights abound, my personal favourites include, (in no particular order):
-The Southern Soul inflected ”How Much Longer Can A Broken Heart Last”
-The string band / old time Blues treatment of Robert Johnson’s “Come In My Kitchen”
-The Jimmy Reed influenced “That’s What Friends Are For”
That leaves 10 more songs; any one of which that I could easily be convinced to add to the above mentioned list.
It’s recommended that you buy a copy of Country-Fried Blues, and pick your own favourites."
-Rico Ferrara, Maple Blues magazine
"Acoustic blues with a lot of soul, ‘Country-Fried Blues’ is an album that successfully highlights the solid voice and the subtle playing of an artist with incredible talent. Absolutely worth discovering!"
-Zicazine, France (Read full review here)
"Al Lerman is a triple-threat musician that fills in all the categories needed to be at the top of the blues chain. His mastery of the harmonica is not hard hitting, but rather laid back and comforting. His vocals and guitar mix seamlessly together as if they're emanating from some other-worldy music dimension. All this comes together on his new album Country-Fried Blues. Al serves up a delectable menu of tunes that feature his down-home lyrics. The first cut on the album is The Backbug song which is classic Al Lerman. I kept playing it over and over until I wore out the grooves on my digital release. And then cut after cut tumbles out with only lyrics that a story teller like only Al could produce. Get the album. Don't stream it. BUY IT! It's well worth it."
- Blues Source Canada
"Al Lerman has the blues flowing through his veins and Country-Fried Blues has wasted no time making a favourable impression this spring. Cover songs provide additional grounding, but the heft of Country-Fried Blues is revealed within Lerman’s originals. Blues and roots radio programmers will be well-served by Country-Fried Blues with every song deserving of airplay. Listeners are sure to appreciate the flow and substance of this quality album.”
-Fervour Coulee
Initially inspired by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Canadian Al Lerman has had a long career in music, both as a solo artist and with the band Fathead which he founded in 1992. He has four previous solo releases, nine with Fathead and a slew of guest appearances on other people’s albums. His latest release Country-Fried Blues is an apt title as Al blends acoustic and electric blues with elements of country in an unfailingly pleasant album. Al handles all lead vocals, harp and guitars, aided by Alec Fraser on upright bass and B/V’s, Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, fiddle, guitars and B/V’s and Chuck Keeping on drums; Steve O’Connor sits in on six tracks on keys and accordion. The album is very much an in-house affair, engineered by Jimmy, mixed and produced by Alec and featuring nine of Al’s originals, plus four covers.
“The Backbug Song” borrows the core guitar riff from Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say”, overlaid with mandolin and acoustic guitar, making an attractive start to the album. The relaxed pace of “How High Is Up” finds Al in reflective mood: “I’ve been so high I’ve touched the sky”, Steve’s twinkling piano adding considerably to the tune and Al blowing some high register harp, but he gets more serious with “How Much Longer Can A Broken Heart Last”, a slow blues with good electric guitars and backing vocals.
The title really says it all with the instrumental “Summer Strolling”, a feature for Al’s harp over gentle Caribbean rhythms before a familiar title, but another original, “That’s What Friends Are For”, this one an acoustic blues shuffle with more of that high register harp. The album concludes with a run of four originals: “You By My Side” is a warm tribute to the love of the author’s life and the only track here to exceed the four minute barrier; the band heads south of the border for “Lowdown Just The Same”, the accordion adding the right touch of Tex-Mex to the song; “Too Bad For You (Too Bad For Me)” returns to country blues with the mandolin to the fore and “Last One To Leave The Party” closes the album with the most uptempo number on the album with Jimmy playing up a storm on his fiddle and at least one line in the lyrics that might offend the censors!
The four covers are distributed across the album. “Big Bill’s Blues” is given a relaxed treatment with the fiddle adding an old-timey feel to one of Broonzy’s best-known tunes. Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen” is transformed into a country romp with mandolin and harp strongly featuring, whilst, in contrast, Hank Williams’ “I Heard That Lonesome Whistle” is turned into a chugging blues. The least well-known of the covers is Bobby Charles’ “Can’t Pin A Colour” which is driven along by the piano.
Overall this is an enjoyable album of mainly relaxed tunes that reflect the “two snowy days” spent in an old Ontario farmhouse converted into a studio. Warm and enjoyable, as the sessions undoubtedly were.
-Blues Blast, USA
INTERVIEW FROM ATHENS, GREECE 2024
Click here to read.
https://blues.gr/m/blogpost?id=1982923%3ABlogPost%3A491130
INTERVIEW FOR THE SOUND CAFE 2024
Click here to read Erin MacCallum's interview with me for “Behind The Curtain”.
INTERVIEW from Athens Greece, June 2019
Greek radio host Michael Limnios spoke to Al for an in depth interview.
http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/q-a-with-canadian-multi-instrumentalist-bluesman-al-lerman-an-eng
INTERVIEW from Athens, Greece Dec. 2011
In this in-depth interview, Al discusses his early years of playing, a few favorite career moments, his influences, and some of his philosphy of making music.
Link to interview:
http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/an-interview-with-canadian-bluesman-al-lerman-of-fathead-there