artist The Shaggy Dogs

The Shaggy Dogs released their first CD, One Runs at Midnight, in the fall of 2006. The collection features 12 original songs and a rocking reworking of an obscure early Muddy Waters tune. One Runs at Midnight is a potent stew of alt. country, swamp blues, and brand new 400 year old folk tunes.

Dann Downes and Grant Heckman are the Shaggy Dogs. Dann plays National steel guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, banjolin, and mandolin. Grant plays acoustic and electric guitars, slide and lap steel guitars, and harmonica. They are joined on stage and in the recording studio by a cast of musical friends.

Since 2009 Grant has played primarily with his blues band The Honeyboys. Dann recorded a solo project in 2011 called "New Wolf at the Door" - you can find his page here: http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/artists/Dann-Downes . The boys still record together and perform periodically as Heckman Downes.

Dann was a regular on the Queen Street scene in Toronto during the 1980s as a lead guitarist and singer-songwriter in bands such as Company Town and Conditioned Response. In recent years, he has focused increasingly on songwriting in the roots/alt. country tradition.

Grant's most recent solo CD, From Saints' Rest (2001), is a solo collection of original songs. He has recorded five other CDs, produced a number of recordings including the Juno-nominated Rites of Passage by Georgette Fry, and is co-author of the musical Sir John, Eh?, which was nominated for a Dora award in 1999.