Rick Fines & Suzie Vinnick

It was more than fifteen years ago when Rick Fines met Suzie Vinnick. Ottawa’s Chopper McKinnon, host of CKCU radio’s Canadian Spaces, thought that the two should meet and pointed Rick to a club where Suzie was playing.“I was so impressed with her bass playing,” says Fines, “then she stepped up to the mike to sing! As soon as the set was over I was there asking ‘How do I get to play music with you?!’”At the time Fines was a member of the much-lauded Jackson Delta acoustic blues band and Vinnick was the talk of the town in Ottawa, having recently moved from her native Saskatoon. They started playing a few gigs together and talking about making a recording - each one played on the other’s solo release and they continued to perform together while building their solo careers.Now, years later, with over 15 recordings between them, numerous rewards and much critical acclaim, they are enjoying the success of their first CD together. “Nothing Halfway”, which earned the duo a Mapleblues Award for songwriting, reflects what fans have loved about Suzie and Rick all along. From the soul sounds of “We Got a Love Like That” and “The Lucky One”, the sultry “How’d You Know I Missed You”, the guitar-drenched “Callin’ Out Your Name” and the rockin’ blues of “Love In A Bottle”, this an album that has what fans have been asking for: Rick Fines and Suzie Vinnick at their best!