John Rutherford

Welcome to the on-line home of Calgary based guitarist, blues musician and graphic designer John Rutherford.

Playing with Dice Deluxe

I am very pleased and humbled to announce that I have joined forces with a great Calgary band, Dice Deluxe. Having the opportunity to play with these great musicians is under the saddest of circumstances in that my long time friend and former band mate in the Ronnie Hayward Trio, Kevin Herring passed away in March of this year. Kevin will be missed by so many including the guys in Dice Deluxe. The decision has been made by the band to carry on in Kevin's honour and memory. I have been asked to step up as guitarist in the band. I do so knowing I can never replace or match the talent of the great "Blaring Kevin Herring" but will do my best to make him proud and to help keep a band that he was such a huge part of alive and jumping.

Opening for the legendary Downchild Blues Band

I am off to southern Alberta with the trio Saturday October 28 to perform an opening set on the bill with the legendary Downchild! Having been a fan for many years I am very excited to be part of the show and looking forward to hearing Mr. Downchild and his super band. The show is part of the long running Blues at the Bow series in the southern Alberta community of Bow Island at the historic and oh so wonderful Bow Theatre. Halloween Bash...should be some kinda fun!

JR3 in the Studio

Very pleased to let everybody know that, along with band mates Erik Allen and Aaron Scholpp, I am working on a new record. We are writing and building this project as a band and working with Steve Gerard in his Calgary studio to record it. I'll provide progress reports and will likely post a free track download here on this website in the not too distant future.

King Edward Hotel short documentary film

A lovely short documentary film has been released amidst much publicity and hype surrounding the re-opening of Calgary's legendary music venue The King Edward Hotel. The piece tells the story of a run down old hotel that became one of the leading blues rooms in the world only to be shut down and condemned by the city then slated for the wrecking ball. Then the community steps forward to save the Eddy with an end result that now sees the King Eddy rebuilt and part of the NMC..

Opening up the new King Eddy

The boys in the band and I were proud to be part of an exciting event his week that amounted to a blues baptism of the new "and I mean new" King Edward Hotel at the corner of 9th & 4th SE in Calgary. For many years the old Eddy stood on the same corner and was the epicentre for live blues music in western Canada. The Eddy presented the world's blues greats week after week between 1982 and 2004 (when it was shut down in disrepair). In that time the Eddy fostered a flourishing local blues scene of which I was lucky enough to be part of. To go back years later along side a distinguished line-up of artists including Big Bill Dowey, Amos Garrett and Ellen McIlwaine, all of who were regulars on the old stage, was a thrill for me. Thanks to everyone at the National Music Centre.

CBMA Winner! 2016 Guitar Player of the Year

On Wednesday February 24th I was presented with the CBMA 2016 Guitar Player of the Year Award. I am flattered and hugely honored to be recognized within this community that I am so proud to be part of. Thanks everyone who voted and to the Calgary Blues Music Assiciation for this award.