Crooked Trail

Who is writing songs to speak to Indians…especially urban Indians? This is the question that Rick McLean and Phil Davis asked each other in 2003. They were sitting around a pow wow drum that both attended to and discovered that they also were experienced road musicians and prolific writers. This was the birth of Crooked Trail which is the Mohawk name of the city in which Phil and Rick first began working together in. It is also a name that denotes the nature of our lives; a weaving path as we try to find our way back home. It is this theme that is the subject and vision of this versatile quartet. Since recording their first CD in 2006, Crooked Trail have won over audiences from both native and non-native venues alike. The band is reinforced with bassist Sandy Horne and drummer Shawn Wheeler.
PHIL DAVIS: Guitar and vocals, a Mohawk/Cayuga, who’s family on both sides originate from Six Nations, currently making roots in Ridgeway Ontario. He enjoys many aspects of music from country to blues, rock and also has a deep passion for Iroquois social singing and is an avid traditional Pow Wow singer. Has played with various blues acts within the Niagara Region but to date Crooked Trail continues to be his most ambitious project due to the blending of mainstream styles intertwined with musical flavorings from his own background and beyond.
SANDY HORNE: Bass and vocals. During the 1980’s, Sandy was a member of the well-known pop band “The Spoons” which scored 2 Juno nominations, 2 gold albums and various pop radio hits. The Spoons toured with acts such as The Police and Survivor and were pioneers on the video scene. Since then, Sandy started an all-female alternative classical group called Amaris, is working with folk singer James Gordon, has toured Japan with Shannon Thunderbird and is a sweatlodge keeper near her home in Guelph Ontario.
SHAWN WHEELER: Drums and vocals. Shawn comes from a family of well-versed musicians and has worked with many artists throughout the years as a session player at Castle Studios. It was at the studio where he not only perfected his vocals and percussion, but also learned the craft of sound engineering. He has toured with several classic rock/blues/top 40 bands and opened for the likes of Trooper with his band Planet X. Shawn has joined the band to make some positive waves in the music world.
RICK MCLEAN: Vocals, guitar and keys. Rick is a classically trained vocalist who started early with the support of his talented musical family. During the 1980’s, Rick toured extensively with many bands like The Peasants and The Brides as well as “jobbing” with many of the touring Canadian bands of the day. In the early 1990’s, Rick took theatre and mixed it with original rock with the band Sloppy Duppy and made avante garde interesting again. Tiring of the media hype, Rick returned to his spiritual home of the Anishinaube and concentrated on pow wow drumming and traditional teachings. He released the self-titled album “McLean” before meeting Phil Davis and forming Crooked Trail.
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