Quinton Blair is a four-time Manitoba Country Music Association Award winner and singer-songwriter. He has always been interested in country music and fell in love with the classics at a young age. Garth Brooks is an artist who always stood out to Quinton because his music talks about cowboy related topics in a country way. Quinton is drawn to the western side of the country music spectrum.
Quinton Blair started a company over the last year where they take people trail riding or hiking along the banks of the Assiniboine River. They will end up having a campfire and Quinton will pull out his guitar and perform what he calls “Back Country Concerts.” These started during COVID-19 because of the restrictions on live events.
Songwriting is a significant part of his music career. He describes songwriting as painting a picture and putting all the pieces together.
“When co-writing, you lose a little part of yourself but gain a little part of them, he said.
Co-writing allows you to get little pictures and snapshots of different stories.
Quinton Blair released his rendition of the song “Man of Constant Sorrow.” He put out this song about a year ago on Spotify but there were no places to play live music during COVID-19, so he decided it wasn’t the right time to put it out. Now that live shows are starting up again, it is the perfect time to release new music.
Quinton got to put his own spin on this song and worked on the arrangement to include fiddle and guitar solos. He recorded the song with Dwave Thompson, who lives in Tennessee. They ended up recording the entire song back and forth virtually through Dropbox because of COVID-19.
He wanted to make sure in his ears as a musician that the fiddle he hears playing in country music and Tennessee is different than the fiddle he hears his friends play in Manitoba. He wanted to feature the fiddle playing of his long-time friend, Brenton Thorvaldson, who is a member of Tim & The Glory Boys. Quinton wanted to make sure his stamp was on the song because his playing speaks to him.
After this release of “Man of Constant Sorrow,” another single is coming in May, written with singer-songwriter Jason Blaine.
There are many upcoming shows to look forward to from Quinton Blair. Their summer tour is kicking off at the Bullarama event in MacGregor, Manitoba, Carmen Country Fair, and many more throughout the summer.
A highlight for Quinton as a performer is anytime he gets to play big theatres. His favourite shows to play are soft theatre shows (where people come to sit and listen) because “they allow me to be me and talk to people while being transparent and personal,” he said.
Another highlight is when his daughter steps on stage to sing with him.
“It is a great feeling as a dad to be able to share this with her.”
Listen to “Man of Constant Sorrow” and follow Quinton Blair on his social media platforms, so you stay updated on new music and shows.
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