Dawud Wharnsby

Idris Phillips left this world in July 2022, and we remember him today with my interview with him from December 2017, although I also interviewed him again in person, 

Abraham Jam is the confluence of David LaMotte, Billy Jonas, & Dawud Wharnsby, channeling their gifts together for an honest & resplendent harmony. This is what happens when a Muslim, a Jew, & a Christian walk into a concert hall, arm-in-arm, as brothers.

For great folk music north-of-the-border, Dawud Wharnsby is the one. Homeboy of Kitchener, Ontario, with roots also in Syria and Pakistan, Dawud weaves nature, vulnerability, faith, truth, and universality into song, integrally linked to the Islamic path he walks. Occasionally he performs as part of the Abraham Jam, a Jewish-Christian-Muslim collaboration trio.

A revisit to 6 powerful performers from the end of 2017, sampling some of the musical styles we heard, including kirtan, pop, folk, rap/hip-hop, and country, and you'll encounter stories and songs from folk like Heidi Kalyani in Nova Scotia, Laura Joy in Chicago, Jen Hazen in Eau Claire instead of prison, Alex Mead in Buffalo, NY, Dawud Wharnsby in Kitchener, Ontario, and Elizabeth Erin Kemler, with a cowgirl heart in New York. Click on their names to listen to the full interviews.