Brian Pickell has been playing and composing traditional music for over twenty-five years. In the 1970s, he was a founding member of the Humber River Valley Boys who played from Atlantic to Pacific and produced three vinyl albums. They played all of the major Folk and Bluegrass festivals.
In the early 1980s, due to a repetitive strain injury, he returned to photography for a living and spent several years shooting for the Toronto Star. He has several books to his credit, including the Official Hockey Canada History of the legendary 1972 Russia Canada Series and two full colour books with Grit Laskin on the World of Instrument Making.
Brian returned to professional music in the late '80s with the Dawnbreakers and Ian Bell. You may have heard them on CBC as the Vinyl Cafe Orchestra with Stuart Maclean. They have produced three CDs. Brian began performing with the Pierre Schryer Band in 1994 and has toured widely in Canada, the U.S. and overseas and produced two CDs. He also performs with other musical entities and has recorded with artists such as Sneezy Waters, Grit Laskin, Oliver Schroer and the Schryer Triplets.
For several years, Brian has been involved with the teaching of composition, guitar and mandolin at venues such as the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, Northwest Fiddlefest in Smithers, British Columbia, and AlgomaTrad Music & Dance Family Camp.
In 2002, with Canada Council support, he produced a CD of his own compositions, played by an all-star cast of Ontario Fiddlers and other musicians. The contact with these players and the popularity of the tunes led to the formation of the Brian Pickell Band and also the creation of a book of musical notation of 51 of his tunes.
In the spring of 2005, The Brian Pickell Band launched a new CD featuring many more original compositions. It is full of superb virtuoso and ensemble playing.
During this entire period, Brian has been composing many tunes and sharing them with other musicians and performers. His tunes are featured on the albums of many performers worldwide, including these artists: Sandy Stanage (Scotland), Deaf Shepherd (Scotland), Tony McManus (Scotland), Liz Doherty (Ireland), Patrick Orceau (France/USA), Gretchen Koehler (USA), Halali Fiddle Band (USA), and Canadians Nicholas Williams, Pierre Schryer, The Schryer Triplets, Allison Lupton, and Oliver Schroer.
The Brian Pickell Band features the combined fiddle-power of Shane Cook and Mark Sullivan, both multiple winners of the Canadian Open and Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. Also driving the music are Ottawa legend James Stephens on fiddle , mandolin and viola, combined with the incomparable tandem of Pat O’Gorman on flute, pipes and whistle and Julie Schryer on keys. Brian stirs it up with guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals. Click here for more information about the band and its members.