Jack de Keyzer

• Name — Jack de Keyzer • Birth Name — Jacob de Keijzer • Born — September 13, 1955 • Birthplace — London, England • Origin — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Genre — Blues, Canadian blues • Occupation — Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer • Instrument — Guitar • Years Active — 1970s–present • Label — blue star records • Website — www.jackdekeyzer.com/

Jack de Keyzer received Juno Awards for Blues Album of the Year in 2003 and 2010, respectively, for 6 String Lover and The Corktown Sessions. He also won first prize in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition for his song "That's the Only Time". His career has spanned four decades. He is a former member of Hamilton band The Bopcats – a rockabilly group that released two albums in the 1980s on Attic Records. After leaving The Bopcats, he became one of The Rock Angels, releasing an independent EP in 1983. His solo work began in 1989. His first CD release, Hard Working Man, was produced by Stacey Heydon. The album made a name for de Keyzer in the Canadian blues industry through the successful singles "Blue Train" (Produced by Danny Greenspoon), "That's the Way" and "Nothing In the World". The single "That's the Way" reached No. 13 on Rock Radio. As a solo artist, he has released eleven CDs and one DVD and has appeared as a session guitarist on hundreds of recordings. As a session guitarist, he worked with Etta James, Otis Rush, John Hammond, Jr., Ronnie Hawkins, Duke Robillard, Robert Gordon, Willy Big Eyes Smith, Bo Diddley, and Blue Rodeo. Jack de Keyzer's songs have also appeared in video, rock & blues radio charts, other artists' CDs (Prairie Oyster's platinum CD Everyone Knows), TV soundtracks, as well as in films (The Michelle Apartments, My Father's Shoes) and on television (Traders, PSI Factor). In 2009, de Keyzer received accolades from two very Canadian institutions. First, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's son, Ben, received a guitar lesson from him at the request of First Lady Laureen Harper at the Prime Minister's residence. Later that year, de Keyzer was also named Great Canadian Blues Artist of the Year by CBC radio listeners. • Illustration — Jack de Keyzer at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, 2024