Southside Denny
Southside Denny, Blues artist, singer-songwriter, slide guitar specialist , solo acoustic fingerstyle and blues guitar
About Southside Denny
Heal It, 2024
On May 18th, 2024, the New Southside Denny album, titled 'Heal It' was officially released at the legendary Martha's Midway Tavern in Mishawaka, Indiana. This recording captured Southside Denny at his best! You can buy it direct from the artist at a show or if you click 'shop' at the top of this page.
Southside Denny Bio
Solo acoustic guitarist, electric blues rocker, and composer Southside Denny was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. He began gigging while still in high school, and by the mid-1980s, he was playing throughout the midwestern United States and in parts of Canada while building a solid reputation in the Chicago and Michiana-area blues
Solo acoustic guitarist, electric blues rocker, and composer Southside Denny was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. He began gigging while still in high school, and by the mid-1980s, he was playing throughout the midwestern United States and in parts of Canada while building a solid reputation in the Chicago and Michiana-area blues scene.
In the early 1990s, Denny earned a regular gig at Buddy Guy’s Legends, in Chicago, and also performed regularly with Luther Allison, Sugar Blue, and Pinetop Perkins. During this period, he expanded his reach, appearing as an opening act for a Who’s Who of Chicago blues acts that included Ray Charles, Lonnie Mack, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Taj Mahal. He also shared the stage with many legendary rockers including The Beach Boys, John Fogerty, Edgar Winter, BTO, Three Dog Night, and Styxx.
In 1999, Denny was the second recipient to receive the Ole Harv Award for lifetime promotion of blues music in the Michiana area. A year later, he represented the State of Indiana at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. In 2008, he captured third place at the Montréal Grand Prix de la Guitare.
Having lived most of his life in South Bend–he lived briefly in Chicago, and in Phoenix, Arizona–in 2007, he relocated to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has since performed at the International Festival du Jazz de Montréal, the International Festival du blues de Mont Tremblant, Riverfront Blues, Trois Rivières en Blues, and other venues.
In 2019, Chicago label Blujazz Records reissued Denny’s Rollin’ Home album. His latest album, Heal It, was released in May 2024. He is now working on his tenth album as he continues to play on both sides of the border.
What we have to offer
What we have to offer
What we have to offer
The Bluesrocker
Southside Denny has been tearing it up in bars, festivals, and concert halls for over 40 years. He always surrounds himself with the finest supporting cast that can be found. Denny has played in 20 different states, 7 Canadian Provnces and has also graced stages in Germany and in Italy. His music has been played on th
The Bluesrocker
Southside Denny has been tearing it up in bars, festivals, and concert halls for over 40 years. He always surrounds himself with the finest supporting cast that can be found. Denny has played in 20 different states, 7 Canadian Provnces and has also graced stages in Germany and in Italy. His music has been played on the radio world-wide. He has opened the show for a list of Chicago Blues artists and stellar rock acts that is longer than your arm. To date, he has recorded and released 9 albums of primarily original material and shows no signs of slowing down.
Some Quotes:
‘Denny’s playing has matured and grown consistently more interesting. There’s a buttery sweetness to his playing on the acoustic guitar, whether he’s doing a driving primal blues, or something more rhapsodic. One minute he’s sounding polyrhythmic and tribal and the next he’s delicately picking an evocative bliss-filled instrumental – tunefully reassuring us using grace notes, brief slides, and harmonics to send out an intensely hopeful message. It’s clear he used the pandemic to perfect his technique on the acoustic guitar and his use of the instruments dynamics are just phenomenal’
George Schricker, Director of the Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth, Indiana
''He plays with good air between the notes and restraint, even when he plays with abandon'' - Steve Jones, Blues Blast Magazine
" If you listen to Southside Denny, you'll dig deep down to the roots of the blues. He took the blues from the past, gave it some new modern clothes and let it live right between us, where it should be, like a long - time missed friend." Erhard Albrech, Radio Weser, TV 90.7 MHz, Bremerhaven, Germany.
‘The original songs, outstanding blues rock guitar and top vocals make Southside Denny’s 'Rollin’ Home' a very enjoyable release…Eric Schuurmans, rootstime.be, Belgium
‘Good energy, nice raw guitar…the kind of distortion I like…’ Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records, Chicago
Video Links:
Southside Denny, The Buttkicker, Montréal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5V_Zb1gWIU
Solo Acoustic
What we have to offer
What we have to offer
Southside Denny has performed solo performances at the Montréal Jazz Festival, the Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival, Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth, IN , Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn., and many, many more. He has released two different solo acoustic discs. 2003's 'Eclectic' is a collection
Southside Denny has performed solo performances at the Montréal Jazz Festival, the Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival, Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth, IN , Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn., and many, many more. He has released two different solo acoustic discs. 2003's 'Eclectic' is a collection of instrumental guitar pieces. In 2006 he released 'Roots and Branches', which was a blend of half vocal and half instrumental tracks. Denny is currently writing and recording more music. George Schricker, director of the Wild Rose Moon says
‘Denny’s playing has matured and grown consistently more interesting. There’s a buttery sweetness to his playing on the acoustic guitar, whether he’s doing a driving primal blues, or something more rhapsodic. One minute he’s sounding polyrhythmic and tribal and the next he’s delicately picking an evocative bliss-filled instrumental – tunefully reassuring us using grace notes, brief slides, and harmonics to send out an intensely hopeful message. It’s clear he used the pandemic to perfect his technique on the acoustic guitar and his use of the instruments dynamics are just phenomenal’
Video Links:
Cornfield Gringo on Southside Denny channel
https://studio.youtube.com/video/iWtAAs7lqjg/edit
Slidin’ on Southside Denny channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmI7hASeSsU
Nothin’ Doin’, Le Crapo
Therapeutic Troubadour
Comforting those who need it the most
Denny enjoys performing therapeutic music for clients with special needs. Music is an incredibly moving, stimulating and powerful force. It brings happiness, peace and reminiscence to the people who need it the most. Many of Denny's instrumental pieces are soothing and comforting to the people he visits living in assisted living facilities or hospitals. Some enjoy hearing soft, inspiring sounds. Some enjoy Blues pieces, and even like to improvise vocally or on other instruments to what he plays. It is also comforting for the health care workers to listen and relax during their routine.
The Therapeutic Troubadour works at:
CHSLD Bourget
Jewish Elder Care
CHSLD Maimonides
Mount Sinai Hospital
CHSLD Le Glenmount
CHSLD Lev Tov
Les Pavillions LaSalle
Centre de soins prolongés Grace Dart
CHSLD Father Dowd
Guitar studies with Southside Denny
Personal coaching/Workshops
Denny has been a blues guitar educator for most of his musical life. He has students ranging from beginners wanting to develop and learn good habits to professionals who are looking for new ideas. Guitarists curious about musical theory, increasing chord vocabulary, learning slide guitar, using alternate tunings and improvisation. Denny has 30 years of coaching experience and has been very successful at communicating his approach to all levels of players. If you are serious and would like to study with him, either in person or online, please let us know through our Contact Page on this site.
Southside Denny has been conducting blues music workshops for a long time. Over the years he has gathered a lot of experience and insight that he enjoys sharing. A workshop can be about many different subjects including but not limited to Improvisation, Slide guitar, Alternate Tunings, Blues Riffs and Tricks, or more than one subject. His workshops include participation, jamming and experimentation. A workshop can be a lot of fun at a party or an event, or a nice addition to a performance. Some past clients include Sweetwater Sound, Hoosier Dad's Music, G&A Music, Le Royaume de la Musique, The Music Station, Blues on the River and many private goups...
Having fun with some old friends
