The Five And Ten and Wayling James are the winners of the annual Amy Louie / Grossman’s Music Scholarship, which returned to Toronto’s legendary Grossman’s Tavern after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Created in memory of the late Amy Louie — a member of the family that has owned Grossman’s Tavern since 1975 — the ALGMS is an artist development bursary that provides two musicians or bands from the Greater Toronto Area $2000 and $1000 to help with career development.
Winner of the $2000 was The Five And Tens, an instrumentals band built around the Vidal brothers, Ray (guitar), Anthony (keyboards) and Nick (drums), alongside Sean Jackson (bass). The $1000 runner-up prize was awarded to Wayling James, a group comprised of Tim Wayling (vocals, guitar), Darrell James (vocals, bass), Chris Bender (drums), Rob Pelletier (guitar) and Larry Gould (guitar).
Performers at the Sept. 27 event were The Swingin Blackjacks, Caution Jam, Frankie Foo, The Happy Pals, Action Sound Band, Quail, Hedifine & Roderman, Camp Combo, Mike Nagoda & The Spectrum Blues Band and both scholarship recipients.
The fundraiser segment of the event raised $1005.
Artists submitted applications to participate. The successful candidates were chosen a panel of judges that included members of the Louie family, music industry professionals, and individuals with long-standing connections to Grossman’s Tavern.
Previous recipients of the scholarship include The Big Butter and Egg Men, Mike Nagoda, The Swingin’ Blackjacks, Dan McKinnon, Bad Luck Woman & Her Misfortunes, Chloe Watkinson & Park Eddy, Jerome Godboo, and The Responsables.
As one of the longest-running live music venues and a stalwart within Toronto’s vibrant and dynamic music scene, Grossman’s has long been considered an incubator for an impressive roster of local artists who got their start inside the Tavern, including the late Jeff Healey, the Downchild Blues Band, Rough Trade, and more.
