Sue Malcolm at her Hall of Fame induction ceremony – photo © Dave Webber
Sue Malcom of Vancouver, BC was recently inducted by the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada (BMAC) into the Canadian Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. The folks at the Pacific Bluegrass and & Old-Time Music Society (PBOMS) threw a nice reception for her induction on November 4 preceding the monthly Slow-Pitch Jam that she runs with her band, Highrise Lonesome. The event was at the ANZA club in Vancouver complete with cake, guest performers, plaque presentation, and acceptance speech followed by the workshop, and two jams.
The evening kicked off with a short cake-cutting ceremony, followed by the induction led by BMAC Director Linda Thorburn, who detailed Sue’s many credentials which are way too extensive to list here. Next up was a lovely showcase featuring Sue performing songs with old friends Linda Thorburn, Linda Bates, and Bob Underhill.
Lest we think this was all fun and games, Sue then went to work leading her award-winning Slow-Pitch Bluegrass jam. This is an ANZA beginner-friendly and low-pressure monthly jam of bluegrass standards, where she explains jamming etiquette and shares tips and tricks including solos where players of each instrument are grouped together. You can preview the songs from the Slow-Pitch jam on this Spotify playlist. Afterward, there was an open jam in the main hall plus another one downstairs in the ANZA club bar. These PBOMS jams and other events happen every Monday night at the club during the winter, and outside at Trout Lake in the summer. If you find yourself in Vancouver on a Monday night, you should definitely check out the local happenings at the PBOMS website.
I collected some thoughts from Sue’s friends and band members. Dobro player and long-time bandmate Don Fraser had this to say about her teaching abilities.
“Sue has a real ability to encourage and support her students. With her encouragement, I’ve watched them learn to play together, bringing what they’re able to do and push beyond those boundaries to explore harmonizing, soloing, and figuring out which fret that damned pink capo she has lent them (because they forgot theirs) goes on so they can play G shapes.”
Fellow DJ at the Vancouver Co-op Radio Rob McGregor added this.
“Sue Malcolm is an inspiration to all of us in the bluegrass community. Her years of work in the promotion, teaching, and performance of bluegrass have had a profound influence on the fans, students, and musicians of this music that we love. Her induction into the Canadian Bluegrass Hall of Fame is clearly well deserved. Congratulations to Sue on this amazing honor.”
Sue and Dave Lidstone were part of the group who founded PBOMS. Dave talks about her contributions.
“I am struck by Sue’s resourceful and generous character. I recall an early meeting of the bluegrass society board becoming rather rambunctious with deliberations, and when someone asked how we would keep track of things, Sue piped up, ‘I’ve been taking minutes.’
At an early Coombs festival, my morning stupor was set aside when she handed me a coffee and a thick slice of raisin bread lathered in butter.
Over the years she has created performance and teaching opportunities that many would have missed, and she has shared those opportunities with others in our community. I have benefited from such generosity.”
Dave shared this picture of the Pacific Bluegrass and Heritage Society (now PBOMS) board members in the fall of 1981, the first anniversary of the society.
Peter Thompson of Bluegrass Signal who was also part of the PBOMS founders group expanded on her involvement.
“Those of us who haphazardly created Vancouver’s Pacific Bluegrass & Old Time (Heritage) Society owe a great deal to fellow founder Sue Malcolm. She pretty much ‘mothered’ the organization, always welcoming to new attendees, always encouraging in jams — something that became one of her careers — and open stages, always ready to do a few tunes with her then-partner, fiddler Keith Malcolm, and always paying attention to the all little things that ensured the organization’s survival.
She’s remained in leadership roles for the 45 years of the PB&OTS, and is probably the main reason why it continues to thrive. Heck, I think she baked the cake that’s in the photo of the first Board Of Directors, taken in 1981 to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the organization.”
Sue has played in many bands on many recordings, and her solo album titled Highrise Lonesome, which preceded the band by the same name, is a wonderful collection of covers including a couple of original gems, Highrise Lonesome and Amber Eyes, that she wrote. You can purchase this and her other CDs on the Slow-Pitch website.
Congratulations and thanks to Sue for all of her contributions to the bluegrass scene in Canada.
