Jammin’ on the Bay is set to return to Rankin Inlet.
The original event took place on the Labour Day weekend in 2001 and featured performances by Trooper, Kim Mitchell, Charlie Major, Sass Jordan, Farmer’s Daughter, Susan Aglukark and the Dust Rhinos.
The man who was the driving force behind the original Jammin’ on the Bay, Jim Ramsay, is also behind round two. But, this time out, the event is known as Jammin’ on the Bay Tribute Fest and will feature tribute bands playing the music of Kiss, Led Zepplin, Bon Jovi, Styx, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Elvis Presley, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Johnny Cash, Harry and The Armpits and a few possible surprises.
The event will be held in Rankin Inlet during the August long weekend, Aug. 2 to 4. If any Inuit associations decide to sponsor the concerts, that money will go towards bringing Inuit artists from across Nunavut into Rankin for the festival.
A documentary on the event is also being planned to be filmed.
It will be two years in May since Ramsay moved back to Rankin Inlet to eventually open two new stores in the community.
He said he started having meetings about a year ago to lay the foundation for his new vision.
There are numerous volunteers on board, with 30 to 40 people showing up for every planning meeting, he said.
“I worked really aggressively on this with a guy I met who formed a Beatles tribute band in the 1980s and we decided to go with 12 tribute bands for the festival,” said Ramsay.
“The nice thing is some of the band members play in some of the other bands so, basically, out of 12 tribute bands, we have 30 guys who cover all of the bands.
“The biggest thing I had to do was have it approved by council on April 22. I have all the tickets booked and the accommodations here ready for them.
“The main venue will be at the new Agnico Eagle Arena and the secondary venue will be at the community hall.”
Ramsay said nine of the 30 performers are Indigenous.
“I think it’s kind of nice to add that flavour and have nine of these Aboriginal guys performing in these tribute bands.
“I also have Al Simmons coming, who has been on Sesame Street, written books, won a number of Juno Awards for Best Children’s Album and is a master of ceremonies.
“We’re going to have a giant lip sync competition and all sorts of various activities for the kids in the community.
“It is going to be a dry, family-orientated event and it’s going to be wild, busy and a whole lot of fun. We may also have a special announcement or two before the event, so stay tuned. ”