Dutch Mason, CM (19 February 1938 – 23 December 2006) was a Canadian musician from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Known as “Prime Minister of the Blues” was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2005.
 |
| Ronnie Banks & Dutch circa 1961 |
Norman Byron Mason was born 19 Feb, 1938 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to professional musician parents. His father played stand-up bass and drums and mother played piano. Moved with his family at the age of 11 to Kentville where they called him Dutchie because of his strong south-shore accent. At the age of 14 he started playing drums in a dixieland band with his parents. At 16 learned to play guitar while hanging out with the Black guys in the community of Gibson Woods.
His heroes were Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis. First band was called the Wreckers followed by Dutch Mason and the Esquires. He went on the road at 19 playing dance halls around the Maritimes. Forgot about rock and roll after hearing "Sweet Little Angel” by B.B. King and knew from this point on he wanted to play the Blues.
As he began to become known as a blues artist in the sixties, he started to tour various parts of Canada. In 1970 Dutch recorded his first album entitled “At The Candlelight”. The album was actually recorded at Bicentennial Junior High School one Sunday morning in about 4-5 hours. The band was paid a bucket of chicken and two quarts of bootleg rum to record the album. In 1973 became the house band at the Wyse Owl Tavern in Dartmouth, N.S., where they stayed for 13 months before moving to Toronto. Returned home in 1978 and recorded two albums for Attic Records. In the early 80’s Dutchie had to leave the guitar playing to others due to arthritis and diabetes. He took nearly a ten
year break from recording. Was appointed the title “Prime Minister Of The Blues” by his hero B.B. King at a King concert in Toronto that Dutchie attended.1990 saw Dutch return to the recording studio to record his first record for Stony Plain, logically titled “I’m Back!”. The album utilized musicians from the Johnny Winter Band, Downchild Blues Band and others.
In 1991 Dutch performed on the Juno Award-winning disc, “Saturday Night Blues: The Great Canadian Blues Project Volume 1” was a joint WEA/Stony Plains/CBC Variety project, based around the CBC Radio show, “Saturday Night Blues”. Amongst the 20 blues artists on this disc was also the Drew Nelson Band with whom Dutch recorded “You Can’t Have Everything” in May-July 1992.
Here's "I Must Be Crazy" from above album.
The album consisted of several Drew Nelson songs as well as some cover versions. That same year, Dutch won the first annual “Great Canadian Blues Award” by listeners of the CBC show.
For Dutchie’s 60th birthday concert promoter Brookes Diamond gathered together fellow musicians Sam Moon, Joe Murphy, Theresa Malenfant, Rick Jeffrey, Frank MacKay and the Lincolns, Matt Minglewood, Pam Marsh, Johnny Favourite, Bucky Adams and son Anthony, Doris Mason, Bill Stevenson, Carson Downey and Big City at the Halifax Metro Centre and recorded a tribute to Dutchie CD that was released the following year.
Mason was nominated for Best Blues Album at the 1994 Juno Awards and Half Ain't Been Told (2004), earned him a nomination for Best Blues Album at the 2005 East Coast Music Awards. Mason was one of the original inductees to the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2005, Mason became a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2005 Dutch Mason's son, Garrett Mason, earned a Juno Award for Best Blues album.Dutch has received several awards including the first East Coast Music Awards lifetime achievement award, a Juno award, CBC Radio’s Saturday Night Blues Award and has an award named after him at the Harvest Blues Festival in Fredericton.
Dutch passed away in his sleep on 23 Dec/2006 at the age of 68. At the time of his passing, Dutch lived in Truro, Nova Scotia and still did occasional gigs although he was confined to a wheelchair.
(Edited from various sources)