MOOSE JAW — A piece of art that captures both the soul of a local musician and the spirit behind his music now hangs proudly at John’s Music in downtown Moose Jaw.
The self-portrait of Maurice Richard Libby — known by many as Whiteboy Slim — playing his harmonica onstage was donated three months ago to tribute his legacy and now takes its place as a permanent fixture at the store he used to frequent.
“(The painting was donated by Robert Sagal, who) called us and asked if we would be interested in putting it up,” announced Ryan Wenarchuk, owner of John’s Music. “And of course, because Maurice was a good customer of ours, we thought it was a nice tribute to put it up on the wall here.”
Libby’s self-portrait painting depicts him in a soft, intimate moment as he plays his harmonica through a microphone. Although abstract, Libby can be seen gripping the mic while positioning the harmonica just above it — a classic technique musicians use to amplify their sound.
Throughout his life Libby was a highly accomplished musician, author, and a key figure in Saskatchewan’s music scene. His musical journey began as a teenager when he played in a band called “Moose Jaw,” a nod to his hometown.
Libby went on to form another band, “Whiteboy Slim,” produced at least eight albums, and made a sizable impact performing across the province.
“He wasn’t a name everybody knew across Canada, by any means, but across the province, he was a well-known musician,” said Sagal, Libby’s former manager when he played for “Moose Jaw.”
Libby also penned an historically detailed book, Moose Jaw, which sold thousands of copies and can still be found at the public library and in several homes.
Beyond his achievements as an author and musician, Libby revealed yet another remarkable talent.
“(Libby also) did a number of paintings, but the one in particular that really caught everybody’s eye was this self-portrait — just a head shot of him playing a harmonica,” Sagal said.
“You got to stand back and look at it until you see it, and then it just kind of jumps out at you,” he noted about the eight foot by eight foot (2.4 metre by 2.4 metre) portrait. At first glance the detail is subtle, but once you see it, it perfectly captures the essence of his style.
“Maurice passed away a few years ago, and his parents just passed away a couple of months ago,” added Sagal, who is now managing the family estate. Recently, he came across a few unsold CDs from Libby’s last album and donated them to John’s Music and Vintage Vinyl to freely distribute. He chose John’s Music to donate the self-portrait because of Libby’s connection to the venue.
“I wanted to find a really good home for it where lots of people were going to see it…,” he said.
Wenarchuk noted that John’s Music currently has no other way to honour his memory and isn’t aware of any other permanent displays of Libby’s artwork.
“He definitely was a very good customer of ours, and really believed in trying to purchase locally as much as he could,” Wenarchuk confirmed. “(He was) just a very kind person. I mean, I can’t say enough about how good a person he really was… he was always very good to deal with.”
Libby will be remembered as both a remarkable artist and as a genuinely good person, which continues to resonate through his music and the lives he touched. As Wenarchuk put it, “he definitely was our blues guy in Moose Jaw. There’s no doubt about that.”
If you’re interested in a free Whiteboy Slim CD from the group’s last release, stop by John’s Music or Vintage Vinyl to get your copy before they’re gone.
Everyone’s welcome to stop by John’s Music at 37 Main Street North and view the painting. For more information call 306-692-0860, visit JohnsMusic.ca, or ‘John’s Music Ltd.’ on Facebook.
