Music
Press
“…a true advocate of other peoples music…one of the best songwriters we have.” (Frank Peebles, Free Press, BC)
- PG Free Press
“… unique…a truly talented musician, performer, writer…” (Kim Slack, Jumpin' Jack Fest, BC).
- Jumpin Jack Fest
“…An incredible talent…a truly enjoyable experience” (The Atheneum, NS) - Atheneum
“Derrick is a great guy and his music is real and touching, and I don't say that lightly. He has moved me in a big but gentle way, and I hope many more deserving folk get to hear his music.”
(Martyn Joseph, singer-songwriter, UK) - Singer songwriter
Discography
Middle of the Road 1999, Third Ave. Tour 2000, Standing There 2003.
Photos
Bio
In the middle of a bench seat in a 1976 green short box 4X4, a 9 year old boy is crammed in between rifles, shotguns, fishing rods, bad coffee and bologna sandwiches. Tammy Wynette, Chet Atkins, and The Black Watch Pipe Band wait their turn in a fake snake skin box. A moose is spotted, the truck stops and with the looming words, “Stay in the truck!”, this 9 year old boy is left listening to the same 8 track cassette over and over and over again. This was Derrick McCandless' introduction to music.
A former piper, Derrick taught himself how to play guitar after coming to the conclusion that bagpipes required too much maintenance and way too much alcohol. Derrick joined the Airforce in 1985 and moved to PEI. Kitchen parties and lobster boils washed down with local moonshine and fiddle music planted the seeds for ending Derrick's military career and starting his song writing career.
Performing in PEI, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Derrick explored his Irish roots as lead singer and multi-instrumentalist with The McEamondys, and Austin's Pocket. The CD “Middle Of The Road” was Derrick's first solo effort as a songwriter and led to a partnership with The Sir Jazz Trio as the eclectic and popular band Black Sheep Outcast. Irritating the “Celtic Police” across northern BC, the Blacksheep played at the Midsummer Folk Festival (Smithers, BC), Kispiox Folk Festival (Hazelton, BC) and headlined at The Music Mountain Gathering (Prince George, BC).
In 1998, Derrick became one of thirteen songwriters chosen for the BC Festival Of The Arts with mentors Stephen Fearing and Caitlin Hanford. When Caitlin expressed interest in one of Derrick's songs, he made the decision to take song writing seriously and released his second CD “Third Ave Tour”.
He has opened for Clive Gregson, Rick Bockner, David Essig, Gerry Barnum, Alex Houghton, Susan Aglukark and many others with whom he has built great friendships.
Derrick has performed in many venues across Canada including The Kipawo Arts Centre (Wolfville, NS), Black Swan Tavern (Toronto, ON), Rasputin's (Ottawa, ON) and The Jumpin' Jack Fest (Chetwynd, BC). He has been commissioned by CBC (Mugalor, 2001), (Hedy's Lament, 2001), and his song Don't Take Me Fishin' was featured on the National CBC Program Gone Fishin' along with Taj Mahal's Gone Fishin'.
Derrick McCandless now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his wife and two sons.
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