Dead Ends Live was created by Peter North, the onetime radio producer who hosted the popular program Dead Ends and Detours for 17 years on the CKUA radio network. This live, indoor festival event was originally built around the common themes and threads that ran through his radio show. These include the musical roots and branches of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia, along with the influences and
sounds of The Band and Bob Dylan as well as mandolinist David Grisman and the inspiring musicians who built the new acoustic music scene. Dead Ends Live is for fans of the kind of soulful sounds that combine improvisation with the deeply rooted sounds and traditions that influenced the Dead and so many other artists in their orbit. This unique music festival was co-produced by Peter North and Jayne Bawden for the first two years. Jayne took up the helm at the end of 2023 and they are excited to bring you another terrific line-up for 2024! Peter North has had a successful music career that has spanned four plus decades. As an Artistic Director, North finished an eight-year stint at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival which followed five years of guiding the Winter Roots Festival in Edmonton in conjunction with Folkways Alive at the University of Alberta. As a journalist he spent 24 years covering the roots music scene for both the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun. His television resume includes co-producing the national CBC roots music program The Country Beat and prior to that he was the national and international talent buyer for the Ian Tyson hosted Sun Country series syndicated across the CTV network. As a concert promoter North has produced shows by The Derek Trucks Band, Jorma Kaukonen, Jesse Winchester, Honeyboy Edwards, Downchild, Richard Thompson, Guy Clark, Chris Hillman, Rory Block, John Hammond, Jim Kweskin, Alvin “Youngblood” Hart and many more exceptional artists. Jayne Bawden has had a successful career creating and managing events for several non-profit organizations in Edmonton for over two decades. The Spirit of Spring Fashion Show for McDougall House Association, the Scotiabank Pro Am event supporting Alzheimer’s, the Gala for STARS Air Ambulance, and the Snowflake Gala for Children’s Health Foundation were projects Jayne played a major role in producing and presenting. Jayne’s tenacity and passion also helped bring Hockey Helps the Homeless to Edmonton. One of her true loves has always been supporting music and she first started producing in the Edmonton area some 40 years ago when she was promoting shows with great local bands like Tacoy Ryde, Hot Cottage and One Horse Blue.
