After recording entirely online, this music collective takes their new record on tour

Originally formed in 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario, the music collective Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are going on tour with the release of their 11th studio album, O Glory.

Hitting the road for the first time in years, the collective is heading across Canada, with BC stops including Victoria, Nanaimo, Vernon, and Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom.

Starting out by recording what was supposed to be a one-off tribute album of the Canadian songwriter Willie P. Bennett, singer-songwriter and guitarists Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson have maintained the collective while juggling their own solo careers.

Eight albums and 20 years later, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings have won a Juno in 2000 for their album, Kings Of Love, along with four other nominations for their albums High or Hurtin’, Bark, Let’s Frolic, and South.

Recorded through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group collaborated on O Glory from their homes in Victoria, BC, Nashville, Tennessee, and Ontario.

Leveraging the flexibility that’s sustained them for 25 years, they were able to use technology to connect them together to write and record, and bring in the rhythm section of Gary Craig and John Dymond.

“Like a lot of musicians, after the initial shock of the pandemic lockdown, the impetus became finding ways to connect with the world,” guitarist Stephen Fearing said in a press release. “Technology has come so far in the last few years, and it has made remote recording possible. I pounced on it. Colin gave me a lot of advice and took charge musically. It was then a matter of coming up with songs and getting them to each other.”

For more information on the full tour, visit Blackie and the Rodeo Kings’ website.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings O Glory Tour

When: November 9
Time: 7 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street, Vancouver
Price: Starting at $62.75 — Available through Ticketmaster