badseed - hey, I just logged in for a few minutes to check my mail, etc :)
Yes! I saw Dutchy many, many times at local clubs. Met him a couple of times, once at the Middle Deck, and wanted to buy him his 'signature' Gran Marnier, but by then he was taking it a bit easier on the booze, so he bought me a Jack instead. He died a few years ago, and we now have the Dutch Mason Blues Festival every year. He was actually quite well-known in blues circles, you will be happy to know! B.B. King knew him, and christened him "The Prime Minister of the Blues". He may not have had a recording career that made him gazillioins of dollars, but he was very successful. You know, kinda like Downchild Blues Band, another great Cdn. blues act. He was also a really good piano player as well. You can find lots of him on youtube, though it's mostly singing with the band as his arthritis prevented him from playing any instruments the last few years. :)
We still have lots of music here -- the Atlantic Jazz Fest, Atlantic Fringe Festival, and lots of buskers downtown. Many young musicians playing the clubs and even an all-ages venue; there is a lot of original punk, djs, alternative, rap and metal. Buck65 is one of the young up-and-comers, and I've even seen one of the younger folk here on the board (american) mention him as one of her fav artists (which was cooool). So that, at least that part hasn't changed. For a small city, we have lots of music, and lots of ART!
Hope you get to come 'down home' again sometime. :D
t