STRIP-SEARCH WICKED, PICKETT'S PEOPLE CLAIM

OTTAWA - Wilson Pickett's management group says the renowned blues
musician may never play in Canada again after he was strip-searched
for drugs at Ottawa airport.

Pickett, 60, is known for songs like In the Midnight Hour and Mustang
Sally and traveled to Ottawa 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 Radio. "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
travelers, Bluesfest organizers say.

Canada Customs would not comment on the case, but a spokesman said
all travelers 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.