Bio
Whitey Somers
Guitarist • Singer • Songwriter
Whitey Somers
Guitarist • Singer • Songwriter
Original Roots, Blues & Other Grooves
2026 International Male Songwriter of the Year — Silver Award Winner, Whitey Somers is a seasoned Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist whose music reflects a lifetime of stories told through roots, blues, and other grooves. A true journeyman, he has been bringing his music to audiences across Canada and beyond for decades.
At the heart of Whitey’s work is songwriting. His songs capture life through Canadian eyes—honest, relatable, and rich with character. As he puts it, “I try to paint a feeling with melody and words.” His guitar work blends expressive phrasing with groove-driven energy, while his seasoned vocals bring authenticity and depth to every performance.
Whitey’s songwriting reached an important international milestone on August 22, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was awarded Silver — International Male Songwriter of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriters Awards. The win capped an extraordinary year in which he received multiple 2026 ISSA Award nominations and advanced to the finals in four categories.
The award follows a strong run of recognition for Whitey’s songwriting. His song “A Free Man” placed 3rd in the 2025 International Songwriters Day Contest, while his work has also been recognized by the Canadian Songwriting Competition, Unsigned Only International Music Competition, and The Elite Music Awards.
In 2025, Whitey won Saskatoon’s “Road to Memphis” Challenge, earning the opportunity to represent the Saskatoon Blues Society at the 41st International Blues Challenge on legendary Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.
With four solo albums and a growing catalog of original material, Whitey’s music has earned international airplay and chart success. His releases include Down That Road and The Call of the Blues, while his song “Gone” was featured in the 2026 feature film The Killer Balloon: ’Til Death Do Us Part.
Coming from a musical family, Whitey is the nephew of Juno Award–winning Canadian composer Harry Somers. His musical journey has taken him through Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and now Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.
With recent performances including the TD Sask Jazz Festival Main Stage, Saskatoon Blues Festival, Beale Street in Memphis and more Whitey continues to write, perform, and connect through music that’s real, lived-in, and unmistakably his own—grounded in roots, driven by story, and delivered with heart.
Achievements of Note
A FEW HIGHLIGHTS
~ 2026 WINNER, INTERNATIONAL MALE, SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (SILVER) at the INTERNATIONAL SINGER SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
~ 2026 UP FOR 4 INTERNATIONAL SINGER SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (To be awarded in Atlanta Ga. USA Aug 2026) INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITER, VOCALIST, MUSICIAN AND EMERGING ARTIST
~ 2026 5 INTERNATIONAL SINGER SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION AWARD NOMINATIONS
~ 2026 SPRING, THE SONG "GONE" FEATURED THE FEATURE FILM "THE KILLER BALLOON: 'TIL DEATH DO US PART"
~ 2026 INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE QUARTER-FINALIST (Beale St, Memphis Tn. USA)
~ 2025 ROAD TO MEMPHIS WINNER, SASKATOON (Heading to IBC Memphis)
~ 2025 NOMINATED SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR ELITE MUSIC AWARDS
~ 2025 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS DAY COMPETITION 3rd. place (Song) "A Free Man"
~ CONTINUED WORLDWIDE AIRPLAY AND CHARTING
~ DENIM & LEATHER TOP 2021 TOP 20 ALBUMS BLUES ROCK #19
~ TOP 50 CANADA ALBUM CHART TOP 10 FOR 3 MONTHS, ENTERED AT #3
~ 2019 CANADIAN MUSIC COMPETITION 3rd. place (Live Video) "Down That Road"
~ 2 X SEMI-FINALIST UNSIGNED ONLY MUSIC COMPETITION
300 word bio: Whitey Somers
Whitey Somers
Guitarist • Singer • Songwriter
Original Roots, Blues & Other Grooves
2026 International Male Songwriter of the Year — Silver Award Winner, Whitey Somers is a seasoned Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist whose music is rooted in real-life stories, Canadian experience, and a lifetime of performing.
At the heart of Whitey’s music is songwriting. His songs are honest, relatable, and rich with character, reflecting the people, places, experiences, and stories that have shaped his journey. As Whitey puts it, “I try to paint a feeling with melody and words.” His guitar work blends expressive phrasing with groove-driven energy, while his seasoned vocals bring authenticity and depth to every performance.
On August 22, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, Whitey was awarded Silver — International Male Songwriter of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriters Awards. The award represents a significant international recognition of his songwriting and caps an extraordinary period of momentum for the Canadian artist.
Earlier in 2026, Whitey received multiple ISSA Award nominations and advanced to the finals in four categories: International Songwriter, Vocalist, Musician, and Emerging Artist.
That achievement followed a breakthrough 2025, when Whitey won Saskatoon’s “Road to Memphis” Challenge, earning the opportunity to represent the Saskatoon Blues Society at the 41st International Blues Challenge on legendary Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.
Whitey has released four solo albums and continues to build a growing catalog of original material. His song “A Free Man” placed 3rd in the 2025 International Songwriters Day Contest, while his work has also received recognition from the Canadian Songwriting Competition, Unsigned Only International Music Competition, and The Elite Music Awards.
His music has received international airplay and chart success, with releases including Down That Road and The Call of the Blues. His song “Gone” was also featured in the 2026 feature film The Killer Balloon: ’Til Death Do Us Part.
With decades of performing experience across Canada and beyond, Whitey Somers continues to write, perform, and connect with audiences through music that is grounded in roots, driven by story, and delivered with heart.
200 word bio:
Whitey Somers
Guitarist • Singer • Songwriter
Original Roots, Blues & Other Grooves
2026 International Male Songwriter of the Year — Silver Award Winner, Whitey Somers is a seasoned Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist whose music is rooted in real-life stories, Canadian experience, and a lifetime of performing.
At the heart of Whitey’s music is songwriting. His songs are honest, relatable, and rich with character, reflecting the people, places, and experiences that have shaped his journey. His guitar work blends expressive phrasing with groove-driven energy, while his seasoned vocals bring authenticity and depth to every performance.
On August 22, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, Whitey received Silver — International Male Songwriter of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriters Awards. Earlier in 2026, he advanced to the ISSA finals in four categories: International Songwriter, Vocalist, Musician, and Emerging Artist.
In 2025, Whitey won Saskatoon’s “Road to Memphis” Challenge, earning the opportunity to represent the Saskatoon Blues Society at the 41st International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.
Whitey has released four solo albums. His song “A Free Man” placed 3rd in the 2025 International Songwriters Day Contest, while “Gone” was featured in the 2026 film The Killer Balloon: ’Til Death Do Us Part.
With decades of performing experience, Whitey continues to create music that connects honestly and leaves something behind after the last note.
100 word bio:
Whitey Somers
Guitarist • Singer • Songwriter
Original Roots, Blues & Other Grooves
Whitey Somers is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist whose music is rooted in stories, roots, and blues.
In August 2026, Whitey was named INTERNATIONAL MALE SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR — SILVER AWARD WINNER at the International Singer-Songwriters Awards in Atlanta, Georgia, recognizing his songwriting internationally.
In 2025, he won Saskatoon’s “Road to Memphis” Challenge, representing Saskatoon Blues Society at the 41st International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.
His music earned recognition, including 3rd place for “A Free Man” in the 2025 International Songwriters Day Contest.
Whitey creates music grounded in roots, driven by story, and delivered with heart.
50 word bio: Whitey Somers is a Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter whose roots, blues and groove-driven music is built on storytelling. In 2026, he won Silver — International Male Songwriter of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriters Awards in Atlanta. A seasoned performer, Whitey continues creating music that is honest, relatable and delivered with heart.