"My hopes are that fresh music, and content still resonates vs filtered imaging that is not necessarily authentic. Physical aesthetics are fleeting, talent is the gas for the tank. I think people still want us to transport them."

Kim Doolittle: Canadian Storyteller

Kim Doolittle has been singing since she was a child, all of her life has been spent as a working musician. She is funny, sassy, and experienced with five decades of music making, nine original recordings and a desire to touch the hearts of her audience with stories from the long road that informs her muse. She is influenced by Roots Blues, Maritime Folk, Alt Country & Canadiana and strives to weave all those influences throughout her original music. Her bawdy humor has been likened to Bette Midler, her singing, Bonnie Raitt, Patsy Cline & Lucinda Williams . Doolittle loves to show up and show out with a big voice, a vintage look & big, beautiful songs. Her new single, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", is a rare cover performance of a 60's tune inspired by the classic crooners. Produced by Kim and John Ebata, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" will be included in a retrospective, 50 Years a Singer, being released on her birthday, January 1, 2025 followed by an original album dropping in the Spring of 2025.

(Kim Doolittle / Photo by Eric Fefferman)

Doolittle's intention is to be a "Road Scholar", travelling Canada and beyond, releasing her new music with the same passion as all those years ago when she began her musical journey from her native Nova Scotia, where coming full circle, she has returned. Keep your ears and eyes open for this wonderfully talented diva and may all your blues be the musical kind.

Interview by Michael Limnios                   Special Thanks: Sarah French Publicity

How has the music influenced your views of the world? How do you describe your sound and songbook?

I find that when times are tough, original music tends to be positive and introspective as people need that mental break, humor and irony become valuable. If we were to trace history, turbulent times foster creativity that often opposes the circumstance. We are here for the listener. Even a sad song leaves a ray of hope. Musicians are documentarians. Our time now is very much reminiscent of the 60's in which change was swift and radical. Timeless music was written then that still resonates today for that reason. 

I am a product of my generation; I love melody and a well woven story.  People will be vulnerable in a song in ways they might not be otherwise. I try to connect with an audience through my own life experience so that we all have something in common. I am influenced by big beautiful ballads, blues and roots music. What I write is my lifetime diary of lessons learned, the experience that informed them with an ironic/humorous reflection. I love Midler-esque humor, Bessie Smith Grittiness and Bonnie Raitt Subtlety weaving through each performance.

Where does your creative drive come from? What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

My Creative Drive has been there my whole life from the time I was dancing on a coffee table at 3 while watching American Bandstand. I fronted my first band when I was 10 and was with them for 8 years. I don't force it, I can go a long time without writing and then it all just comes out like a torrent, or I can see something, sing a few lines, put them aside and come back to them later with a fresh Perspective. 

I also am an adopted child, and my parents were told to look out for musical ability as my birth father was a musician and mother was very creative as well. 

I rarely do covers, but I really love the song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and envisioned a fresh take on it with an R&B flavour, thus the B3 and Sax. This is the first recording I have done co-produced with a piano player vs a guitarist. It was a much wider take with such a diverse instrument. It was pared down so that the vocals were the most prominent instrument as was the way of crooners in the past. Torch with Torque. Lots of soul and energy. I find kids seeking independent music online are very open minded and adults like nostalgia, so we tried to accommodate both. A good song sells itself.

"Try not to be influenced by others' perception of your muse unless the criticism is constructive and well intentioned, then consider it. Ego untethered is insecurity and it is venomous. Develop a healthy one. Words can really get in the way of progress if they feed doubt." (Kim Doolittle / Photo by Gary Fraser)

What moment changed your music life the most? What's been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Wow, that I had to think about. I have been very fortunate. When I left Rural Nova Scotia with a Guitar in hand, no money and no plan, I travelled my country and ended up dead broke with 2 bucks in my pocket in a bus depot in downtown Toronto. By osmosis, that night I sang in a contest, won it and was hired by a bass player in the audience to front a band for a few weeks till they found a replacement. 6 years later...lol. 

I think the biggest highlight was being young and wanting to learn in the mean streets of Toronto and the path enabled me to play with folks better than I, Canadian Celebs like Jeff Healey, Johnnie Lovesin, Blue Rodeo, Goddo, Molly Johnston, Michelle Wright, Gordie Johnson and Big Sugar, Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather, Rita MacNiel, Downchild Blues Band and so many more who carried me along through mentorship and tough love. 

It was boot camp and you either got better or got gone and it really showed me the commitment required to hang in there, sometimes by your fingertips, sometimes with great success. It changed me as a human and improved me as a performer to go from a small town to a huge city where I was replaceable unless I became proficient.

Playing in Memphis was incredible during the IBC's as I really got to see the difference between American and Canadian bands. Playing The Women in Blues Revue in its infancy in Toronto, having music chart across the country and Europe that I had written in the early 90's, coming close to a record deal at that time and unforeseen circumstances taking it away was a huge eye opener as to how replaceable we are if the business changes. Hearing my music on Stingray and CBC when I had come in from a hard day's work, feeling discouraged. Being on stage with the likes of Healey where I realized the power of elite musicians and the luck of being invited to take part in those moments. I feel like I am coming into the best of my musical ability now as I don't play it anymore, I channel it and it comes through me.

"Women need to be bold and fearless. Write about what you know, speak your mind through words and music. Respect your male peers and demand to be respected in turn. I had great support from men from the jump. Not all, but most." (Kim Doolittle / Photo by Mark Legate)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I miss the organic process where you would practice until you knew the music and formed bands that invested the time to write and create with no computer involved. The recording process was warmer, and mistakes were welcome as the expected imperfections of music. You pounded the pavement, but you did not have to be on a computer all day as opposed to actually putting that time in creatively. No one was watching phones while you were doing your show. You 100% had their ear. If you created a buzz it was from a street level and word of mouth.  There were more venues, higher revenue and you could make a living with your craft if you worked hard. Now you can barely get someone to talk to you on a phone. Time is drastically compressed and sometimes I feel very disconnected despite all of the ways to connect. Ultimate irony.

My hopes are that fresh music, and content still resonates vs filtered imaging that is not necessarily authentic. Physical aesthetics are fleeting, talent is the gas for the tank. I think people still want us to transport them. I hope to travel again. My music has taken me to 60% of the world and I have heard some beautiful musicians that inspire me with their brilliance. I want the remainder of my life and career to be about creating incredible songs for an attentive audience and being able to document them audibly. 

My fear is that music is not compensated as well as it should be in the digital world in which we live. I used to get royalty cheques. Now you all but have to give it away in the hopes of viral acknowledgement. What once took a team now takes the individual to wear all of the hats and I wonder if that does not water down the creative aspect of things. Not all artists have a business head and it can be daunting, however, it is here and it needs to be learned. I can appreciate the advantages of the internet and what it can do, I just would like to see more of a balance between the economics and the creativity.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

As a young person you aim high, as you should, however you can only eat an elephant in small bites. Rome was not built in a day; a skill needs to be developed and that takes time. Please the public but play your music for yourself and the audience that gets it will seek you. Try not to be influenced by others' perception of your muse unless the criticism is constructive and well intentioned, then consider it. Ego untethered is insecurity and it is venomous. Develop a healthy one. Words can really get in the way of progress if they feed doubt. 

Artists are sensitive, so you need to be clear about your contribution as you develop it. That way you can buffer. Don't cloud your work with substances. It will cost you and it will be everywhere and available. Be strong. You are working.  Do your best job, play later after the show. When an opportunity comes, don't sabotage yourself. Flesh it out and give it the investment it deserves. That is how you move forward. Be good to the staff wherever you perform. They are your co-workers. Be authentic in your music. The audience can see a poser. As long as you have that audience you have a career until the phone stops ringing. You will experience joy and heartache and not everything will be fair. If you expect it to be easy, you are mistaken. All careers have peaks and valleys. Don't make your career everything. Develop your personal life and your posse. You might have huge success, you may not. Play for the love of music with the hopes of recognition. Balance is everything.               (Kim Doolittle / Photo by Eric Fefferman)

"I find that when times are tough, original music tends to be positive and introspective as people need that mental break, humor and irony become valuable. If we were to trace history, turbulent times foster creativity that often opposes the circumstance. We are here for the listener."

What does to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown says? What is the status of women in music?

I was told very young that if I was to be one of the boys, I had to learn to lead a band, play and be confident. So, I did. It was the best advice I ever had. I was determined to be seen as a "Musician" as opposed to a "Chick Singer". In my 20's I was a giant pain in the butt because I was unrealistically ambitious. In my 30's reality started to seep in and I learned to play well and pick my battles. 

I learned to play Guitar, Bass, Harmonica, Dulcimer, Ukulele and Percussion, wrote music, lifted gear, booked gigs, you name it. Any "day job" I took was always in furtherance of my music. I am still learning the "business" as it is always changing. 

Women need to be bold and fearless. Write about what you know, speak your mind through words and music. Respect your male peers and demand to be respected in turn. I had great support from men from the jump. Not all, but most. You will have to work harder, that is a given. More and more women are producing, writing and creating. If we are to achieve respect with our peers, we also should be lifting each other up as females. 

I believe inroads are being made, it is still very male dominated, but that should never be a deterrent as every industry is. Women have intellect, beauty, perspective and wisdom to draw upon. I believe doors are opening for us now like never before but we still have a way to go. I realized in my 30's that I could not let gender bias be a deterrent. If you want to do something with a white-hot fire in your soul, then do it. Bring your unique female perspective. There is room on the ever-changing playing field so do your best and perhaps one day we will all just be seen as "Artists". That is my hope. 

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

I would like to see women have more of an integral voice. I would like to see them honestly document exactly what it is to be a Performer, Artist, Creator and have each other's backs. I think we have a lot of power and a lot to say from the perspective of our world view. Gender is not something that influences me in what I like and if that playing field could be more equal, then the music would be wholly merit based as opposed to Brand/Gender based. Obviously, branding is important, but in the end it comes down to a great song no matter who delivers it.

Kim Doolittle Music - Home

(Kim Doolittle / Photo by Eric Fefferman)