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Peterbio|Beau Dixon
Date: 2007-07-31
Author: Paul Rellinger
It's quiet at Gerti's on this late Monday afternoon, the silence abruptly broken by the beckoning of a cell phone. Sitting in a
window-side booth overlooking Hunter Street, its owner answers the call, eventually giving the response the caller was
seeking. "I'll be there." In those three simple words resides the essence of what makes Beau Dixon tick.
Since arriving in Peterborough some eight years ago, the 34 year old has rarely, if ever, turned down an opportunity to
write, direct, act, produce or sing. One can't help but suspect that if someone hung a high-wire across George Street,
Dixon would be first in line. And in a windstorm to boot. Devil be warned -- there are no idle hands here requiring your
attention.
"The hardest thing for me is to say 'No' to anybody...this is my life, this is what I do," notes Dixon. "I have a fear of, one day,
not being able to do what it is I do, so when something comes up, yeah, I jump on it pretty quick." On this day, it is an
invite to attend an audition involving Jully Black, a multi Juno Award-nominated R&B singer. Tomorrow it'll be something
else. While such an approach to one's livelihood isn't for everyone, it has worked, and is working, very well for a man who,
at an early age, had a dream steeped in music notes.
In the late '70s through the next decade, R&B recording artist Stevie Wonder counted millions among his worldwide fans.
One of them was a Detroit native and now London-residing youngster who, enamoured by the wall of sound reverberating
from the family stereo, wore the grooves off of Songs In The Key Of Life, Wonder's landmark double album. "I remember
laying on the carpet in front of the stereo...it was just me and Stevie," recalls Beau Dixon of that time. "I read that album
like a book, taking in the music at the same time. I wanted to be squeezed between the audience and the drum kit, making
that sound." The son of a Baptist minister, Dixon witnessed at an early age, via his father, the power of stage presence.
It's a lesson he learned well, applying equal fervour to his many later pursuits. "I could see that my dad had an audience.
He had to perform, he had to be articulate. There had to be some pizazz."
At age 16, Stevie Wonder's voice no doubt still resonating in his head, Dixon headed to Ottawa and arts school where he
studied vocal with a minor in drama. Outside of class, he satisfied his need to perform, to show "pizazz," with The Freeway
Band, a local psychedelic rock band. A move to Toronto followed. He hooked up with One as a roadie but eventually
became the band's singer. After touring and a few albums, he came to Peterborough to visit his mom, a hospital chaplain
residing and working in the city. Soon enough he found himself performing and hosting workshops at the Peterborough
Folk Festival. "There I was, Willie P. Bennett to my left, Jude Waldman to my right. How good is that? I thought, 'Wow, this
is a great place to be'" I had been couch surfing too long in Toronto. Those two guys, as it turned out, were the tip of the
iceberg. The musicianship here was great. I wanted more of that. I wanted more out of life. "It was as if these huge arms
opened up and welcomed me."
To understand the talent that is Beau Dixon is to see him as well as hear him. As a singer, he is bigger-than-life, aided by
a tall frame and a soul-reaching voice that reaches the far side of the room and threatens to blow out the doors on exiting.
As an actor, he has honed his craft well, delivering, through his oratory, expression and actions, in most convincing
fashion.
Dixon's resume since coming to Peterborough reflects the demand for his talent.
Musically, he fronts Slips and the High Fives and The Beau Dixon Band as well as guests with numerous artists. And then
there's Dub Trinity, a band put together by himself and Gregory Roy. Its unique fusion of dub reggae with improvised drum
and bass rifts, all backing social issue-steeped lyrics, has won wide acclaim in a very short five years.
As a playwright, he penned From Here To Africville for Arbor Theatre and, more recently, Once A Flame. Presented by
Heritage Pavilion Stage, it toured schools, telling the powerful story of a slave woman accused of burning Montreal to the
ground and her subsequent fight for freedom and respect. As a director, Dixon was at the helm of And Freedom For All,
Ed Schroeter's 2006 Heritage Pavilion Stage production, as well as St. James' Players' Oliver Twist and Arbor Theatre's
Forgotten Mercy, penned by Ryan Kerr.
"Knowing that Beau Dixon is involved in your project guarantees a successful production because of all that he gives to it,"
enthuses Ray Henderson, Arbor Theatre's artistic director. "Beau brings to the table an incredible creative energy,
enthusiasm and talent. You can't help but be infected by it, whether you're working with him or an audience member. "I've
witnessed him develop from an actor into a playwright into a director. Not many people can turn all three into a success
like Beau has been able to."
In 2002, Dixon made the first of several 4th Line Theatre appearances in Attrition. He's now in rehearsals for a role in
Beautiful Lady, Tell Me..., which opens Aug. 9 at the Winslow farm in Cavan. "I thought 4th Line wouldn't be interested in a
guy of my colour...I was quite jaded," recalls Dixon of the time prior to his inaugural 4th Line role. "The director saw me on
Breakfast Television with my band. She thought I had character. I've been so blessed to be back (at 4th Line) every year
since. I love working with Robert Winslow and his team. They have really inspired me."
"I think it was Woody Allen who said 10 per cent of life is about showing up, 90 per cent is what you do when you're there...I
really believe that."
Having recently moved out of a downtown Peterborough apartment to his own home, Beau Dixon says his passion for the
arts and music is as strong as ever but there's a different driver behind the wheel. "I have a mortgage...it's a job now," he
says. But with an in-home studio, that "job" offers him the chance to teach music more regularly, something he's
passionate about. "I have a six-year-old vocal student who is the light of my life. She's so talented. I'm just the facilitator."
On the horizon musically is a planned August gig with Dub Trinity at The Red Dog and another with Slips and the High
Fives at The Gordon Best. In 2008, he'll be busy with the St. James' Players' staging of West Side Story. Also next year,
Once A Flame and From Here To Africville will be produced by Toronto's Alumnae Theatre.
"I was born with a gift and I'm very fortunate to be able to use it," notes Dixon. "Up to now, I've always thought I'm friggin'
invincible. Now I've got new responsibilities, I'm a little older. It's time to step up so I can one day answer, 'What have you
got to show for it?' My only regret is not seizing the moment, for not showing up, earlier. As soon as I finished high
school, I just played music. I could have studied literature; I could have developed more. Still, I've always worked and
been able to do the things I love. That's not too bad."
Date: 2007-07-31
Author: Paul Rellinger
It's quiet at Gerti's on this late Monday afternoon, the silence abruptly broken by the beckoning of a cell phone. Sitting in a
window-side booth overlooking Hunter Street, its owner answers the call, eventually giving the response the caller was
seeking. "I'll be there." In those three simple words resides the essence of what makes Beau Dixon tick.
Since arriving in Peterborough some eight years ago, the 34 year old has rarely, if ever, turned down an opportunity to
write, direct, act, produce or sing. One can't help but suspect that if someone hung a high-wire across George Street,
Dixon would be first in line. And in a windstorm to boot. Devil be warned -- there are no idle hands here requiring your
attention.
"The hardest thing for me is to say 'No' to anybody...this is my life, this is what I do," notes Dixon. "I have a fear of, one day,
not being able to do what it is I do, so when something comes up, yeah, I jump on it pretty quick." On this day, it is an
invite to attend an audition involving Jully Black, a multi Juno Award-nominated R&B singer. Tomorrow it'll be something
else. While such an approach to one's livelihood isn't for everyone, it has worked, and is working, very well for a man who,
at an early age, had a dream steeped in music notes.
In the late '70s through the next decade, R&B recording artist Stevie Wonder counted millions among his worldwide fans.
One of them was a Detroit native and now London-residing youngster who, enamoured by the wall of sound reverberating
from the family stereo, wore the grooves off of Songs In The Key Of Life, Wonder's landmark double album. "I remember
laying on the carpet in front of the stereo...it was just me and Stevie," recalls Beau Dixon of that time. "I read that album
like a book, taking in the music at the same time. I wanted to be squeezed between the audience and the drum kit, making
that sound." The son of a Baptist minister, Dixon witnessed at an early age, via his father, the power of stage presence.
It's a lesson he learned well, applying equal fervour to his many later pursuits. "I could see that my dad had an audience.
He had to perform, he had to be articulate. There had to be some pizazz."
At age 16, Stevie Wonder's voice no doubt still resonating in his head, Dixon headed to Ottawa and arts school where he
studied vocal with a minor in drama. Outside of class, he satisfied his need to perform, to show "pizazz," with The Freeway
Band, a local psychedelic rock band. A move to Toronto followed. He hooked up with One as a roadie but eventually
became the band's singer. After touring and a few albums, he came to Peterborough to visit his mom, a hospital chaplain
residing and working in the city. Soon enough he found himself performing and hosting workshops at the Peterborough
Folk Festival. "There I was, Willie P. Bennett to my left, Jude Waldman to my right. How good is that? I thought, 'Wow, this
is a great place to be'" I had been couch surfing too long in Toronto. Those two guys, as it turned out, were the tip of the
iceberg. The musicianship here was great. I wanted more of that. I wanted more out of life. "It was as if these huge arms
opened up and welcomed me."
To understand the talent that is Beau Dixon is to see him as well as hear him. As a singer, he is bigger-than-life, aided by
a tall frame and a soul-reaching voice that reaches the far side of the room and threatens to blow out the doors on exiting.
As an actor, he has honed his craft well, delivering, through his oratory, expression and actions, in most convincing
fashion.
Dixon's resume since coming to Peterborough reflects the demand for his talent.
Musically, he fronts Slips and the High Fives and The Beau Dixon Band as well as guests with numerous artists. And then
there's Dub Trinity, a band put together by himself and Gregory Roy. Its unique fusion of dub reggae with improvised drum
and bass rifts, all backing social issue-steeped lyrics, has won wide acclaim in a very short five years.
As a playwright, he penned From Here To Africville for Arbor Theatre and, more recently, Once A Flame. Presented by
Heritage Pavilion Stage, it toured schools, telling the powerful story of a slave woman accused of burning Montreal to the
ground and her subsequent fight for freedom and respect. As a director, Dixon was at the helm of And Freedom For All,
Ed Schroeter's 2006 Heritage Pavilion Stage production, as well as St. James' Players' Oliver Twist and Arbor Theatre's
Forgotten Mercy, penned by Ryan Kerr.
"Knowing that Beau Dixon is involved in your project guarantees a successful production because of all that he gives to it,"
enthuses Ray Henderson, Arbor Theatre's artistic director. "Beau brings to the table an incredible creative energy,
enthusiasm and talent. You can't help but be infected by it, whether you're working with him or an audience member. "I've
witnessed him develop from an actor into a playwright into a director. Not many people can turn all three into a success
like Beau has been able to."
In 2002, Dixon made the first of several 4th Line Theatre appearances in Attrition. He's now in rehearsals for a role in
Beautiful Lady, Tell Me..., which opens Aug. 9 at the Winslow farm in Cavan. "I thought 4th Line wouldn't be interested in a
guy of my colour...I was quite jaded," recalls Dixon of the time prior to his inaugural 4th Line role. "The director saw me on
Breakfast Television with my band. She thought I had character. I've been so blessed to be back (at 4th Line) every year
since. I love working with Robert Winslow and his team. They have really inspired me."
"I think it was Woody Allen who said 10 per cent of life is about showing up, 90 per cent is what you do when you're there...I
really believe that."
Having recently moved out of a downtown Peterborough apartment to his own home, Beau Dixon says his passion for the
arts and music is as strong as ever but there's a different driver behind the wheel. "I have a mortgage...it's a job now," he
says. But with an in-home studio, that "job" offers him the chance to teach music more regularly, something he's
passionate about. "I have a six-year-old vocal student who is the light of my life. She's so talented. I'm just the facilitator."
On the horizon musically is a planned August gig with Dub Trinity at The Red Dog and another with Slips and the High
Fives at The Gordon Best. In 2008, he'll be busy with the St. James' Players' staging of West Side Story. Also next year,
Once A Flame and From Here To Africville will be produced by Toronto's Alumnae Theatre.
"I was born with a gift and I'm very fortunate to be able to use it," notes Dixon. "Up to now, I've always thought I'm friggin'
invincible. Now I've got new responsibilities, I'm a little older. It's time to step up so I can one day answer, 'What have you
got to show for it?' My only regret is not seizing the moment, for not showing up, earlier. As soon as I finished high
school, I just played music. I could have studied literature; I could have developed more. Still, I've always worked and
been able to do the things I love. That's not too bad."
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