Fort Erie bluesman René Huard releases single from November album
August 19, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Fort Erie blues and roots musician René Huard–owner of the Retro Shop on Jarvis Street–has released “Tail Waggin’,” the first single from an album he will put out on November 5.
The album, Gently Used, holds 11 tracks. It is Huard’s first record since Blues Calling, a 12-song album he released in January 2024 that reached the Top 20 on the Roots Music Report chart and held the No. 11 spot for several months.
Huard, who has performed for more than 40 years, wrote all of the new material. He sings and plays guitar and harmonica on the album. Credit: René HuardHe said “Tail Waggin'” came from an old story about jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, one he described as an urban legend. Asked by a journalist whether he practised while touring, Montgomery said he opened his guitar case every so often and tossed in a chunk of steak as though he were feeding a dog.
Huard wrote the song around that joke, casting the guitar as the animal a touring musician keeps and looks after.
“Life on the road, wearisome, tedious, sometimes perilous,” said Huard. “Guitar man’s best friend, sharp teeth and strings that bend.”
Rick Taylor produced Gently Used and plays guitar and sings on it. Jim Casson produced the video that accompanies the single.
Jack de Keyzer produced Blues Calling, which Huard recorded over three days in Courtice, Ont., east of Oshawa. Its lead single, “Hard Times,” aired on Holger Petersen’s CBC blues program and on campus radio stations.
Huard records and performs with a backing band called the René Huard Project. Taylor plays guitar and sings, Jeff Muir plays bass and Peter Griffin plays drums. The band has played across Niagara Region, including the Canal Bank Blues Shuffle in Thorold.
Huard’s most recent listed local date was a February show at the Fox Shop on Jarvis Street in Fort Erie.
Four guests appear on the record: Chris Airyes and Thomas Nelson on vocals, Alistair Robertson on saxophone and Ed Roth on keyboards.
Huard began in the Meteors, a Fort Erie blues band that opened for James Cotton, Long John Baldry and the Downchild Blues Band. The band played the first Ottawa Blues Festival. Huard later hosted the television series Antique Hunter and Antique Style.
No Niagara release show for Gently Used has been announced.
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Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
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