#ArtistAtHome is a series of portraits and profiles of local artists by Christopher Edmonstone. Read all about it and see the archive HERE.
This is Jimmy Baldwin, commander and chief of The Jimmy Baldwin Band, which just marked its 6th year anniversary. You can also find him playing with his other project, the afrobeat funk band Camaro 67, and as a touring member of rising Canadian Country music stars The Washboard Union.
A fellow traveler, Jimmy has had some awesome experiences in the deserts of North Africa, including getting caught in a freak rainstorm while sleeping without a tent, and having to just hunker down in the mud. It is funny that somehow as crappy as those things are when you are going through them, they always make for good stories later on. We built some camaraderie while swapping a few food poisoning travel horror stories as well!
Jimmy Baldwin relaxing at home
We chatted about some of the highs and lows that can come with life on the road. Recently, Jimmy had a gig in Toronto and flew in on the red eye flight. When he arrived, he was greeted by a lovely young lady holding a card with his name on it (a first for him!). There was a car service to take them to the Fairmont Royal York Hotel where there were supposed to be rooms to rest a couple of hours before their soundcheck. However, when they arrived at the hotel (at 7:30am after their overnight flight), no rooms were ready. He went from getting the red carpet treatment to wandering around in the cold looking for a place to eat breakfast all in the span of a few minutes. All told, it could be worse!
Many thanks to Jimmy for a great visit. Be sure to check out Camaro 67's website to listen to their music and check for show dates.
