Bonnie Raitt's keyboardist a 'fierce defender and fan of Winnipeg'
Music has taken a Winnipeg-born keyboardist on a path stretching from New Orleans to New York and onto the stage with Grammy Award-winning artist Bonnie Raitt, but he has never forgotten his roots.
A proud Winnipegger – that is how Glenn Patscha describes himself while thinking back to his early memories in the city.
"I'm so proud that I came from Winnipeg, and I'm a fierce defender and fan of Winnipeg," he told CTV News.
Patscha's career started when he was a kid learning piano and playing in cover bands in Winnipeg where he was born and raised. In 1989 when he was 18, Patscha moved to New Orleans to study jazz on a scholarship with Ellis Marsalis.
From New Orleans to New York and eventually to Nova Scotia where he now lives, Patscha has been performing and recording with his own bands along with dozens of artists including The Holmes Brothers, Roger Waters, Willie Nelson and Rosanne Cash.
He can now add Bonnie Raitt to the list.
While playing with Marc Cohn (whom he still tours with), Patscha said they opened for the American blues icon and got along with her very well. In 2018, Raitt gave him a call and he has been working with her ever since, joining her band as a vocalist and keyboardist.
"I've always been a fan, so it was just kind of a natural fit," Patscha said. "(Raitt) has had some of the greatest keyboardists there are playing with her, so it's an honour to kind of be in that chair."
Regardless of where his musical path has taken him, Patscha has kept his Winnipeg roots close.
"My earliest life was in Winnipeg. That all seems like a long time ago, but I still call it home," he said.
It is a hometown pride bolstered by Raitt's win at the Grammys on Sunday for Best Americana Performance with 'Made Up Mind' – a cover originally written and released by Winnipeg's own Dave and Joey Landreth of The Bros. Landreth.
"I remember the first time I heard those guys as well and it just knocked me out," Patscha said. "They're not just a great band from Winnipeg, they're one of the greatest bands there is."
Patscha said the song has since become a regular show opener for Raitt and the rest of the band, and has quickly become a recognizable part of her repertoire.
'Made Up Mind' is included on her twenty-first album 'Just Like That' – the title track of which also netted her the Grammys songwriter's award for Song of the Year and Best American Roots Song.
To see Raitt's work recognized at the Grammys over the weekend was an exciting moment for Patscha.
"I'm very kind of careful about the work that I choose, and I'm proud of most of it – I'm particularly proud of the work with Bonnie," he said.
"She's such a giant figure in the history of so many genres and has had such a long career, and to be even a small part of that is, as a fan, is an honour."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.