The Mighty Messengers of Soul

The Mighty Messengers of Soul is 7 experienced musicians who got together to play R&B like it should be.

Delaney Mquaig-Guitar and Vocals. Delaney is referred to as Mr. Showtime. You can take things from there.
Cedric Hardin-If you look in the dictionary under drummer you'll see a picture of Cedric.
Lead Vocals—Terry Wiley. Terry has a voice reminiscent of R&B and Soul Singers of the 60's and 70's.
Cynthia Bailey—Cynthia is a Bass player's Bass player. Add to that a voice with an R&B Soul and you can't stay away.
James 'Coffee' Yourse—on the Keys. However you like your keys to sound, 'Coffee' is everything you want. Coffee is Smooth, Jazzy, hip, dance and more.
Bill Beamon—Bill plays a Soulful Sax. It's the Sax you've always heard in your favorite R&B songs. What a Saxy man he is.
Last but not least is the Band's namesake; Gary Messenger—on Congas, Bongos and Harmonica. Instruments that if they weren't in your favorite songs, they'd be missed.

Learn more about The Messengers of Soul on their Facebook page.

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Vanessa Collier

“There’s a young lady [Vanessa Collier] came onstage with me, I forget where I was, but she’s playing an alto saxophone, and man, she was amazing.”

Those are the words of Buddy Guy in a recent issue of American Blues Scene, describing an impromptu performance with Vanessa Collier on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. If you haven’t been fortunate enough to meet Vanessa and witness one of her head-turning, fiery, and passionate performances, you should definitely make sure you do. As a master musician and multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa Collier, weaves funk, soul, rock, and blues into every powerful performance and she is downright impressive. With soulful vocals, searing saxophone, and witty songwriting, Vanessa is blazing a trail, racking up an impressive arsenal of honours, and has already singled herself out as an artist of distinction and one we would all do well to watch.

Vanessa has won 3 Blues Music Awards - two for “Horn Player of the Year” in 2019 and 2020 and one in 2022 for “Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year”!! She has been nominated for eight Blues Music Awards since 2017, which puts her in elite company with artists such as Beth Hart, Samantha Fish, Shemekia Copeland, Ruthie Foster, Trombone Shorty, Al Basile, and Jimmy Carpenter.

For more on Vanessa, check out her web site.

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Annika Chambers & Paul Deslauriers

Both on stage and in private life, these two internationally acclaimed artists share incredible chemistry! Their first introduction (lasting only a few seconds) in the crowded lobby of the historic Orpheum Theatre during the 2018 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee left a lasting impression on both of them. It was not until a year later, at a recording session during 2019 IBC that their professional acquaintance blossomed into a love affair, culminating in marriage in August of 2019! Since that time, renowned Canadian Blues-Rocker Paul DesLauriers and acclaimed American Soul-Blues singer Annika Chambers have unified their artistic destiny, much to the joy of everyone who's had the pleasure of hearing and seeing them together!

Houston, Texas native ANNIKA CHAMBERS, like most great American singers, began singing as a child in the Southern Baptist church. Though Gospel music is her mother tongue, it is in the Blues that she found her true voice, and what a voice it is!! She is the 2022 Blues Music Award Winner for Soul-Blues Female Artist of the Year. After winning her first Blues Music Award for Soul-Blues Female Artist of the Year in 2019, she gave us her third release entitled “Kiss My Sass” on the VizzTone Label Group. It debuted at #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart and won the 2020 Living Blues Award for Best Southern Soul album. Annika performs regularly at top Blues festivals across North and South America as well as Europe.

Deeply rooted in the blues-rock idiom, guitarist-singer Paul DesLauriers is the winner of the Maple Blues Awards (Canada's national Blues Award program) for Entertainer of the Year (2016, 2017), Electric Act of the Year (2016), Guitarist of the Year (2013, 2019) and Acoustic Act of the Year (2013). In 2016 he took 2nd Place at the 32nd International Blues Challenge held by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennesee. His most recent recording « Bounce » (Bros/Vizztone) debuted at #1 on Canada's Roots Music Report and held the top Spot for several weeks. In November 2019, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joh Lord of Deep Purple fame's Concerto for Group & Orchestra, the Paul DesLauriers Band were invited perform the piece at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Canada along with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and L’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec under the direction of Paul Mann.Paul DesLauriers’ international touring schedule includes regular performances at top Blues Festivals in North America and Europe including the Montreal International Blues Festival, Ottawa Blues Fest, Edmonton Blues Fest, Calgary Blues Fest, Big Blues Bender Las Vegas NV USA, White Mountain Boogie n’Blues NH USA, Heritage Music Blues Fest Wheeling WV USA, Passion Blues Cognac and Cahors Blues Festivals in France, the Sierre Blues Festival, Switzerland, and Grölsch Blues Festival Shöppingen Germany to name a few.

For more about Annika Chambers & Paul Deslauriers, see their web site.