Pickett may boycott Canada over strip search

OTTAWA (CP) - Wilson Pickett's management group says the renowned blues musician may never play Canada again after he was allegedly strip-searched for drugs at Ottawa airport, CBC Radio reported Wednesday.

Pickett, 60, is known for songs like In the Midnight Hour and Mustang Sally and travelled here last weekend to play at Bluesfest.

Mark Monahan, the event's executive director, said the treatment Pickett experienced makes it difficult to attract musicians to Canada.

''What it means is that musicians don't want to come here,'' Monahan told CBC. ''When someone gets treated like that, it just leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. Then the word spreads and it makes it more difficult for us to attract artists.''

Musicians are often treated differently at the border than other travellers, Bluesfest organizers say. Canada Customs would not comment on the specifics of the Pickett case, but a spokesperson said all travellers are subject to the same rules. The legendary musician, nicknamed the Wicked Pickett, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991

Courtesy of the Toronto Star
July 18, 2001