By the time next Sunday rolls around, Joseph Sallay鈥檚 backyard will be transformed into a cultural mecca of local music.
The bushes will be cut back and the patio table moved aside to unveil a natural stage, where some of the Lower Mainland鈥檚 top musicians will perform.
This is the sixth or seventh yard concert Sallay has hosted at his 91原创 home, and the first one this summer, since he retired in 2013.
鈥淚 was in the music industry for close to 50 years, and I shut down my businesses about three years ago. I was sitting at home just wondering what to do because retirement isn鈥檛 an option these days,鈥� he explained.
鈥淭he phone rings and it鈥檚 this friend of mine who lives in Burnaby, he鈥檚 one of the absolute finest guitarists in North America.鈥�
That friend was David Sinclair, former guitarist for kd lang and Sarah McLachlan. Sinclair was looking for a new manager for himself and his partner, Keith Bennett, who is one of the top harmonica players in the world.
鈥淚t took me about five minutes of thinking and I said, 鈥榊eah OK, guys I鈥檒l do it.鈥� It鈥檚 one aspect of the music industry I have not worked at. I thought I鈥檇 give it a try.鈥�
Through his company, , Sallay, who is 72 years old, now represents several musicians in the Vancouver area, including , and 鈥� the three artists that will play in his backyard on Aug. 20.
鈥淢y wife and I moved out here about five years ago. And just a year and a half ago, I find out that one of my extremely good friends, another absolutely top notch guitarist, and his wife, who is one of the top vocalists in Canada, live two blocks away. And that鈥檚 Glenda Rae and Brett Wade.
鈥淭hen I had the idea, let鈥檚 get a concert going for the musicians, and the money that comes in goes to them.鈥�
Rae is a singer and songwriter who has worked in a number of genres, ranging from pop, soul and jazz to new country. Her father and mother are Gospel ministers, and her sister, Christine Duncan, is a jazz singer.
鈥�(She) comes from the Gospel end of singing like Aretha, Annie Lennox, and I don鈥檛 want to compare her to any of them because I think she is in a class by herself,鈥� Sallay said.
鈥淪he鈥檚 got a huge range to begin with, and she can go from a rawly, sexy blues thing to a very pure voice and jump octaves back and forth. Just a great vocalist.鈥�
Wade has spent decades playing guitar on the west coast, and was even featured in the guitar solo of Valdy鈥檚 1970s hit .
鈥淏rett Wade is a total enigma to me. He is the most beautiful person in the world. He is a hippie leftover, and a musician, a virtuoso of the guitar and voice to the point where I recognize Brett on a recording 鈥� his voice and his guitar. And that鈥檚 hard, there鈥檚 hundreds of thousands of musicians out there. But he鈥檚 got his own voice on guitar and vocals.鈥�
Robertson is a 鈥渄rum virtuoso,鈥� and ex member of the band Idle Eyes, whose song Tokyo Rose made it on the Canadian singles chart in 1985.
鈥淭o come to a concert like this, with world class entertainment 鈥� it鈥檚 like having Tony Bennett in your backyard,鈥� Sallay said.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the other thing, I emphasize I only work with that caliber of musicians.鈥�
A LIFETIME OF MUSIC
For someone who only plays 鈥渁 bit of guitar鈥� for his own pleasure, Sallay has dedicated a lifetime to music.
It began in 1968, when he opened his first music store in Vancouver.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 last long because I didn鈥檛 know much. And like every other late teens, early 20s person, I know everything, and I didn鈥檛. From there I decided to move to Montreal and worked for a wholesale distributor of musical instruments for four years, (then) moved back here and opened three more stores in the Lower Mainland.鈥�
As those stores grew in sales, Sallay decided to open his very own manufacturing plant for guitars in North Vancouver.
鈥淎nd being the restless person that I am, I never stand still, I got into video production in the early days on tape, and a recording studio, I bought into one of those.鈥�
After the recession in the 1980s, he closed his music stores and opened his own wholesale distributor for musical instruments, which he ran until 2013.
鈥淎t that time I got ticked off with the industry and said I had had enough, time to move on. That鈥檚 when we moved out here (to 91原创), and my wife and I decided to reinvent ourselves.鈥�
YARD CONCERT
The yard concert takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 4907 202A St.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair and beverage of choice.
Tickets are $20 at the yard gate.
Space is very limited, so RSVP is required. Please call 604-510-9001 to reserve tickets.
