Tracy K & Jamie Steinhoff Blues Duo

"I truly hope that Tracy K and Jamie Steinhoff continue as Blues Duo and in doing so, offer us much more of the same in the future, from these immensely talented artists." John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)

When chef Jamie "Snakeman" Steinhoff isn't cookin' in the kitchen, he's cookin' on guitar. Now he's outta the kitchen and onstage with award winning songstress Tracy K. Their 2011 album "Canned Heat" introduces a lesser known bluesman guilty of preserving authenticity paired with an award winning performer. Known internationally for wailing on harmonica and beltin' out the blues Tracy K's desire to form a specific kind of acoustic duo was fulfilled after moving to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2004 where she met Jamie "Snakeman" Steinhoff. Woodshedding for over twenty years, Steinhoff’s dedication to folk & blues from the 1920s to 40s is revealed in his swampy Delta slide and Piedmont finger style guitar work and gritty, soulful vocals. The duo's steamy blues and lively rags, contemporary originals and vintage gems in the blues-folk tradition make up their sound. Their acoustic set gets crunchy with the addition of some electric lap steel and amplified harmonica.The acoustic tracks from Tracy K's repertoire find a home in this show amidst song choices unheard in her electric set, and some of Jamie's clever originals. Jamie recorded onTracy K's award winning songs from her 2007 release "Old, New, Borrowed and Blues". The duo will be participating in the 30th International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee, representing Thunder Bay.

Tracy K is compared to many soulful raspy-voiced singing stars. She's earned awards as a performer and songwriter, and her incredible Right Hand Band was nominated as Best Electric Act by Winnipeg blues.com and performed in two Los Angeles movie productions. Tracy K grew up in the tiny prairie town of Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada. Raised on sixties radio and sibling's records, her musical interests developed with the British Invasion and Psychedlic era. Citing Sonny Terry as her first influence, Tracy K started playing harmonica in 1982 on a harmonica given to her by a Canadian soldier in Germany while backpacking Europe. She spent the rest of the decade in Toronto, Canada working the music scene. A hiatus was prompted by motherhood until Tracy K began a solo career in Winnipeg, Canada in 1998. Tracy K has been selected to perform at the Toronto Blues Society's Blues Summit, Harmonica Workshop, Women's Blues Revue, and their showcase at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference. She was a featured vocalist with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and has performed at dozens of music festivals and concerts across the land. Amidst countless highlights, her fondest are meeting Koko Taylor, opening for James Cotton, and being booked with Ramblin' Jack Elliot for a weekend. She also won a spot with her band in the 2013 International Blues Challenge (IBC), and the duo has won the 2014 IBC to go to Memphis as well.

Together Tracy and Jamie have been recorded by CBC Radio’s “Bandwidth” and “Canada Live” and co-wrote an epigrammatic tribute for Jowi Taylor’s Six String Nation Guitar tour. They've shared stages with well known international blues and folk artists (like Ramblin' Jack Elliot, John Sebastien) and lots of local heros. They tour acoustic venues and festivals across the land packing their homemade Tracy K's Stolen Apple Jelly and Snakeman's Canned Heat Salsa, with T-shirts to match, all artwork hand drawn by Tracy K.

Tracy K has been awarded with:
Ontario Independent Music Award BEST BLUES
International Songwriting Competition Award Recipient BLUES & PERFORMANCE
Toronto Blues Society Talent Search First Runner Up
HARMONICA PLAYER of the Year, FEMALE VOCALIST of the Year - Winnipeg Blues.com

DISCOGRAPHY
2012 - Album - Manitoba Women in Blues Live
2011 - Album - "Canned Heat", Blues Duo featuring Tracy K & Jamie Steinhoff
2008 - Single - "Science of Being Distant" with Jamie Smith for CBC Radio One's Bandwidth
2007 - Album - "Old, New, Borrowed & Blues"
2003 - 3 Singles for "Prairie Fire Project", Canadian Diabetes Foundation
2002 - Single - "Rock This House", licensed to Zernick Von-Sertner Films, L.A.
2000 - Album - "Welcome to my Fantasy"