JORY KINJO: Artist Bio A love for all roots music has taken Jory Kinjo around the world in the last 20 years of his musical career. He has performed on bills with a range of artists from Ziggy Marley to ZZ Top. Kinjo was raised in R&B, Blues & Soul music, but his career has since touched on Jazz, Reggae, Ska and even Country music. Kinjo joined Calgary soul band Mocking Shadows in 1999 and still plays with the band to this day. With the Shadows, Kinjo has performed on multiple tours with B.B. King, shows with Buddy Guy, ZZ Top and dozens of other legendary artists. In 2008 Kinjo was asked to play bass on a European tour with Montreal’s third wave ska band, the Planet Smashers. The Smashers were performing at various punk/ska venues with a highlight performance with Bad Religion at Belgium’s Groezrock Festival. This experience sparked a new love for Ska & Reggae music. Following his newfound inspiration, Kinjo began a solo career and took his music in a new direction in 2009. His venture into the Ska/Reggae world has resulted in shows and tours with such bands as Fishbone, UB40, the English Beat and the Wailers. In 2010, Jory began performing in Japan with his younger brother, Kaley Kinjo. The Kinjo Brothers perform in both Japanese and English and still tour Japan yearly at various festivals and venues. From 2014 - 2017, Kinjo moved to New York City part time and worked with such Ska/Rocksteady bands as the Slackers and the Rocksteady 7. Kinjo performed and recorded in NYC, often forced to write and practice in the subway in the late hours to escape the noise restrictions of his East Village apartment. Kinjo’s solo show is a varied and sincere one. His songs and multiple styles reflect a storied and unique past in the life of a Canadian musician with a career spanning over two decades. PERFORMANCE RESUME: With Calgary soul band Mocking Shadows, Kinjo garnered a number of career-highlights, including opening for: • 3 Canadian tours with B.B. King, 2001, 2002, 2012. • ZZ Top @ Rock the Bluff Festival Kelowna, 2005. • Leanne Rimes & Reba MacIntrye, Rock the Bluff Festival 2004 • Buddy Guy at the Saskatoon Jazz Festival, 2009. Jory Kinjo Solo Artist Performance Resume: Opened for/supporting act: • George Thorogood @ Cowboys Stampede tent, 2012. • Ziggy Marley in Alberta, 2014 & 2016. • UB40 @ Cowboys in Calgary, 2016. • The Wailers @ The Palace (Calgary) 2019 • Other acts Kinjo has billed with include: Fishbone, the English Beat, The Slackers the Aggrolites, the Dirty Heads, • Performed and toured in 11 different countries across North America, Europe & Asia. MUSICAL PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS: Kinjo has had the honor of working and performing with many musical heavyweights in the span of his career. Some of the highlights include such musicians as: - Drummer, Ndugu Chancler (Miles Davis, Michael Jackson) - Bassist, Bobby Vega (Sly Stone, Etta James, Tower of Power) - Drummer, Gerry Brown (Stevie Wonder) - Drummer, Randy Cooke (Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger) - Hammond B3, Doug “Dr. Music” Riley (Ray Charles, Dr. Music) - Percussionist, Larry McDonald (Bob Marley, Gil Scott-Heron, Toots & the Maytalls, Taj Mahal)