Poppa Dawg: A life in music playing the blues
Lake Country native and popular Okanagan musician comes full circle and looks to continue a career with lifestyle changes Enter the realm of Poppa Dawg and you find more than just one of the Okanagan’s best blues men. Honest and outspoken about a life in music, Poppa Dawg — Rick Halisheff — has a long and colourful history in music, carving out a niche for himself playing the blues. From his childhood years discovering a special relationship to music, to today, as a blues musician you can find ripping up stages across the Okanagan on virtually every night of the week, Halisheff is the definition of a working musician. Now he finds himself at a new chapter in life, tapping into personal issues and writing music more than ever, but also needing to change his lifestyle, in order to continue. “I’m 50-years-old and I found a new lease on life,” says Halisheff from his Lake Country home. “I’m stupid grateful for what I do. But it’s evolving. I had to make drastic changes. I quit smoking over a year ago. I have to lose weight to get back into fighting shape and be able to continue a career.”