Boobie Browne and the Onions

Maple Blues Award nominee Darren "Boobie" Browne (New Artist of the Year) is an instrumental guitarist (now part of the St. John's, NL electro-rock band the Subtitles) who borrows from many genres and throws in a healthy dose of humour along the way, with his distinct finger-plucking sound as the unifying factor. These elements come together on 2002's 'Birth of the Chickenpick', his ten-song debut CD that is gathering great reviews and getting radio play around the world (21 countries at last count).

Boobie was picked as a top-five finalist in the 2003 North American Rock Guitar Competition, part of the Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival held annually in Buffalo, New York. He placed 4th in a field of great players who were chosen by panels comprised of music educators, musicians and industry representatives (from the producer of Austin City Limits to the president of Gibson guitars), winning some great gear, a nice trophy, and the chance to talk shop with Sid McGinnis from Late Night with David Letterman. The competition was taped by WNED-TV as a documentary called "Driven to Play", to be broadcast on PBS stations in the Spring of 2004. Boobie was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada to an extremely supportive family who always dug deep to lend him the money to buy his instruments (and yes, sometimes his supper). He learned how to play on stage with whoever would have him, and eventually became a part of the local hot blues scene. He is now living in Montr?al after four years in Toronto, and has picked up French and Spanish.