The Jack Semple Band will play at Vernon's 1516 Waterfront Pub and Grill on Friday, June 9. (Photo credit: JackSemple.com)

By Kevin Rothwell

in Vernon June 9

Vernon-bound blues guru initially ‘hated’ electric guitar

Apr 30, 2023 | 10:00 AM

One of Canada’s most celebrated blues guitarists didn’t warm up to playing electric guitar until he had to for a wedding band gig.

Jack Semple is renowned for his masterful and fiery blues and rock riffs but he admits he was not a fan of playing the electric guitar early in his career. In his teens, he had studied classical and flamenco styles.

“The story was that I got into a wedding band when I was 18 years old and started playing weekends,and just doing that kind of music, I had to play an electric guitar, which I really hated at first. It’s a really different animal than an acoustic guitar,” Semple said.

Still, like many modern-blues guitarists before him, B.B. King acted as an introduction and gateway to the blues and electric guitar in general. Semple began listening to King when he was still a child growing up on a farm north of Regina.

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Jack Semple stated: “When I first heard B.B. King, even as a young kid, I thought ‘Wow, this guy is speaking a language. I wanted to learn that language. I got into electric guitar and then I got into playing in a lot of country bands. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, all the gigs in my area were country gigs. You could play six nights a week, endlessly. That’s a great way to learn your chops.”

Russell Haubrich, a long time Vernon and Silver Star resident who is originally from Saskatchewan and is known for his own guitar talents is a bifg fan.

“You need to go watch this guy; he is in a class of his own when it comes to music. You have to see it to believe it,” Haubrich said.

Haubrich and 1516 Pub and Grill owner Katie Dahl are bringing Semple to Vernon for an intimate one night only show on June 9.

“Me and my Uncle Russ saw Jack play six or seven years ago in Armstrong. My husband [Sherman], who loves live music, insisted we go because he saw him play in Regina 30 years ago. We are like, ‘wait, what?”, but we went, and it was amazing. Now look at this, he is playing live at our newest location, 1516 Pub!” Dahl stated:

Patrons will enjoy a healthy mix of Semple that springs from the blues and its various cousin genres. That includes 2018’s Can’t Stop This Love, which featured everything from the soulful R&B of the title track to the funky leanings of Dance of the Undivided, acoustic folk of Walkin’, and charging blues-rock of Workin’ Overtime.

Fans can expect an all-electric set at 1516 Pub but even his most raucous work will likely offer hints of some of his quieter musical activities. In 2021, Semple joined the Regina Symphony Orchestra for a show that included a selection of orchestrated classic-rock chestnuts from Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.

“I love instrumental guitar music, particularly solo. I don’t use a pick. I have a classical-flamenco right-hand technique. I play the bass line and the melody at the same time and lots of open-tuning stuff. A lot of that music is really inspired by where I live. I grew up on the Prairies right next to the Qu’Appelle Valley, which is a very beautiful, fertile area in Saskatchewan. It’s where I spent my boyhood. I go out there with my guitar and recollect the good old days and strum away and write music that way,” Semple said.

Inspired by the 1980s blues revival, and particularly the work of Texas master Stevie Ray Vaughan, Semple began dedicating more time to blues in his mid to late 20s. He eventually moved to Toronto where he played in the progressive R&B band The Lincolns for a few years. But it wasn’t long before he moved back to his hometown and began spreading his talents to soundtrack work in TV and film.

The 1990s were a fertile period for the artist. The solo work won acclaim and also earned him a Juno Award and two Western Canadian Music Awards. He earned two Gemini Award nominations for his soundtrack work.

A limited number of tickets are available for the concert at eventbrite.