Biography
Canada counts Rita Chiarelli among its most captivating emerging vocalists. Her singular fusion of rock and blues earns favorable comparisons with Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge, and Susan Tedeschi. The Maple Leaf Awards named her top blues singer in 2000, bringing wider attention earned through years of persistent effort. At fifteen she joined Hamilton, Ontario-based group Tempest, then, after high school, crisscrossed North America with the nine-piece R&B band Battleaxe. Further refinement came during her stint with Toronto-based rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Hawkins’ ensemble. One year later she relocated to Italy and spent six years as a studio vocalist. Her return to Canada in the late ’80s yielded an early breakthrough when the song “Have You Seen My Shoes?” appeared in the film Roadkill. The 1992 debut Road Rocket led to a stronger follow-up three years afterward: Just Gettin’ Started, produced by Jane Siberry’s collaborator John Switzer. That album spotlighted her melodic songwriting, presenting original material except for a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me.” Long John Baldry recorded her composition “Midnight in Berlin” on the 1996 album Right to Sing the Blues. Breakfast at Midnight arrived in 2001 with guest appearances by ex-Band keyboardist Richard Bell and guitarist Colin Linden.
Albums
