Terry Gillespie
When Terry Gillespie was young he experienced first hand the music of Miles Davis, Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and The Rolling Stones. A question he asks himself every day is: if I was one of my heroes, how would he do it? 'What Would Bo Diddley Do?" A song I wrote a couple of years ago was about that exact thing.
Terry doesn't play 'covers' so much as he plays interpretations, allowing the original to be his first influence. His music is Blues based. You could quote Willy Dixon "the blues is the root and the rest is the fruit'. In his case the rest is a mix of jazz, R&B, Reggae, Soul and African rhythms, music that caught the popular ear, reinterpreted for the now.
He also writes his own songs. There is already tones of music out there. Given that, the first thing he does is look for a space in what is out-there already, a gab that he can fill with one of his tunes.

Terry loves to lead bands. It is probably what he is most good at. As a band leader he was influenced by performing in orchestras in his early years. He watched his heroes work with their bands. Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus and Howling Wolf all brought out the best in their bands, and he tries to do the same.

Michael Fonfara
Long known as one of the busiest, most versatile, keyboard players in North America, Michael Fonfara has added immeasurably to hundreds of recording sessions in a career that began in the early days of the rock revolution, when he was a member of the '60s supergroup, Rhinoceros. Since then, he has played with artists as varied as Lou Reed and Solomon Burke, and is building a new career as a record producer for a number of up and coming bands and singers. His vital, powerful keyboard work accents Downchild's unique sound. Michael was named Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year for 2000 by the Maple Blues Awards.

Gary Kendall
Gary Kendall is one of the best known bassists on Canada's blues scene adding a rock solid bottom end to the band's distinctive sound. In his first period with the band (1979–83) he worked on four albums, We Deliver, Road Fever, Blood Run Hot and But, I'm On The Guest List. Since returning in 1995 he's played onLucky 13, Come On In, Live At The Palais Royale, I Need A Hat and Can You Hear The Music. He was honoured with the Blues With A Feeling Award in 1993 and has received the Maple Blues Award as Bassist of The Year in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2013.

Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Gary has also been honoured by his hometown, receiving the Thunder Blues Award from the City Of Thunder Bay and the Keeping The Blues Alive Award from The Thunder Bay Blues Society in 2002. When not touring and recording with Downchild he performs with The Gary Kendall Band, releasing two solo recordings, Dusty & Pearl and Feels Real Strong plus the download singles "This Sacred Ground" and "Sumlin Around", all on his own 47 Records label.

Mike Fitzpatrick
The newest member of Downchild is drummer Mike Fitzpatrick, but he's certainly no newcomer to the blues scene. And while he's been influenced by big band drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, he's found his niche with a flock of bluesmen — he's played with Big Joe Turner, Sonny Rhodes, Hubert Sumlin and Bob Margolin, but he's just as proud of the contributions he's made with Canadian artists like the late Richard "Hock" Walsh, Jack DeKeyzer, and Morgan Davis. He's recorded with Snooky Pryor, B.B. Odom and the Gold Tops, the Livin' Blues Band and Ray Materick, among many others. His role with Downchild is special — in his own words: "One of the first blues bands I ever heard was Downchild, and they were an influence on my style as well. I'm still a fan today, so for me this is a great gig." Michael won the Maple Blues Award asDrummer of The Year in 2005.
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