June 2006: The band crams in for a photo backstage with blues/rock icon Johnny Winter. We performed directly after Johnny at the Beltline Blues Fest in Calgary as well as the Solstice Blues Fest just south of there. We hung out a bit with his band during the two days we were there. They were all nice, down to earth people.

The band stops for a stretch during their first western tour. We borrowed a mini van and the five us drove round trip from Toronto to Vancouver in that sardine can. We must have looked like a pretty tough, rag-tag blues band towing a U-haul trailer adorned with a giant picture of Anne Of Green Gables!

Pre-Fathead days: Omar (far right) is seen here playing with Paul Butterfield at Albert's Hall in Toronto (1987). Guitarist Dave Gray (far left) later co-produced Fathead's "Livelier Than Ever" CD. That's Wayne Mills on the baritone sax.

We've played Fredricton's Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival a few times. Here we're shown backing the late Little Mack Simmons in 1997. We also backed him on his first two discs for Electro-Fi Records. Over the years we've had the pleasure of backing several US blues artists including Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Charlie Musslewhite and King Ernest. A few years back we opened for the great B.B. King at Toronto's famed Massey Hall.

Fredericton, NB. Fathead had played the main stage at Harvest the night before, and here we're pictured playing a street fest the next day. We partied pretty good after our show the previous night and were extremely hung-over here. Al is still wearing his slippers.

The band poses with a giant pinto bean near Medicine Hat, Alta. Wouldn't you?

Al, Ed & John sing some back-up vocals during the recording of their debut disc, "Fathead". It was recorded at Street Brothers Studio in Toronto.

Teddy hosts one of the Toronto Blues Society's guitar workshops. Here he's shown with guitar greats John Tilden, Colin Linden and Morgan Davis.

Speaking of great guitar players, here's a shot of Jeff Healey sitting in with Fathead at his club in Toronto. We've had a few celebs sit in with us over the years. PRINCE came out to see us a few times at Blues On Bellair and eventually sat in. Sadly, he didn't allow any photos to be taken, but he played great. His groove was really strong and the place went crazy.

Here the band is shown in Washington DC, posing with one of the sound crew. Capitol Hill is in the background. We played for the Canadian Embassy during the Fourth Of July celebrations and also played the famed Birchmere Theatre in Virginia.

We had a few nights off when we played in Washington which was great because this gave us a chance to check out the sites, some art galleries, and the Smithsonian Institute. They were amazing. Teddy snapped this shot of Al when the pair went to see the Yanks play the Orioles at Camden Yards, Baltimore.

Fathead plays the Montreal Jazz Fest in 1999. This was one of the most fun gigs we've ever done. We played to over 10,000 people when we closed off the night's outdoor concerts. There was a giant sea of people dancing and grooving to the music as far as we could see. People in Montreal know how to have a good time!

One of the great things about touring is getting to see a lot of great out-of-the-way places. We once played the Edge Of The World Music Festival on the Queen Charlotte Islands. Some locals took us off the beaten path and showed us some very old, giant cedar trees. It was downright spiritual to be in a forest among these magnificent specimens.

On another Canadian western tour a few years later, we had a few days off after playing the Salmon Arm Roots Festival. We met a very easy-going dude there named "Coon" who invited us back to his property near Mabel Lake in the Okanagan Valley. He had a bunch of cool, old fifties trailers where we stayed, and an open outdoor kitchen complete with fridge, stove and running water. Coon is the guy with the white beard. We still keep in touch. Over the years, a lot of our fans have become good friends. The song "Backwoods Paradise" was inspired by this place.

At Coon's backwoods paradise the wine was flowing pretty good when we prepared a great feast for ourselves. Here, Omar transforms into his alter-ego Cornmar as he readies the maize.