Best of the Northland

Todd Eckart

We’ve got his name spelled right? We think so. Better double check. We’re 90% sure we’ve got his name spelled right. Last year Todd Eckart came in as runner up behind Trampled by Turtles. Considering that Trampled by Turtles are now a nationally known group, that was a bit of an accomplishment. This year Eckart came out on top after playing music for many years before any of the Turtles could tell you what a whole note is. Eckart moved to the area as a child in 1971 and attended a number of schools in Duluth and was in the last class to graduate from Morgan Park before they switched to Denfeld. Eckart started with music during his years in the Duluth public schools and made his debut singing in front of people with the Kenny Rodgers’ song “Lady” in his senior year. Eckart went on to pursue music with a friend. First, they performed in Duluth, and in 1985 they started a band in Minneapolis. After 11 years, Eckart came back up and started playing at coffee shops and open mics under the name Hot Toddy. Eventually he formed a group called Hot Toddy and the Bluetones and they would play area events such as the Dragon Boat Festival. Eckart remained quite active in the area until he moved to Los Angeles in 2007. “I have a lot of opportunities because of that (moving to L.A.). I got to play with Chris Isaac’s original guitar player. His name was James Wilsey, we became friends and play parties. He said, ‘you’ve got to hear this guy, he sounds just like Chris Isaac.’ So, I got to hang out with Lucinda Williams, and sang at Frank Sinatra’s house through a contest that I won.” Eckart would come back and play a few gigs occasionally and then moved back to Duluth permanently in 2012. He plays regularly in the Northland including feature shows where he covers Elvis, Sinatra and The Everly Brothers to name a few. “I think it’s amazing. I’m humbled to say the least. There’s so many great musicians and artists in this town and I’m really honored. I guess in a way, it’s a good sign that people are voting. It’s a great style of music for the people that I play for in the area,” said Eckart.

Runner Up: Trampled by Turtles just narrowly beat out Joe Lindzius and Sarah Jane Hale of “Joe and Friends.”