John Mays (blues)

John Mays (1941-2016) grew up in GA with southern Gospel music. In the 50s he began singing Doo-wop on the streets of NYC. He entered the rhythm and blues club scene in the 60s then graduated to Soul and Funk as a member of The Insiders in the 70s while touring with James Brown. In 1978 he came to Toronto (Canada) to stay, and was the co-founder of The Bleeker Street Band prior to becoming the lead vocalist for Fathead in 1992, returning to his devotion of the blues, deep soul and gospel. Since 1995 John Mays was a six-time winner of the Maple Blues Male Vocalist of The Year award, most recently in 2011, and was nominated an additional eleven times, as well as winner of a West Coast Blues Award as Best Male Vocalist and shared in his group Fathead's two Blues Album of The Year Juno Award wins, for Blues Weather in 1999 and Building Full of Blues in 2008. He released his solo album I Found A love in 2011. After a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer succumbed to the disease at 76 years of age on December 11, 2016.