Advertisement
A proud Chicagoan, Toronzo Cannon grew up in the shadows of the notoriously tough Robert Taylor Homes. Theresa's Lounge, one of the city's most famous South Side blues clubs, was close by. As a child, Cannon would stand on the sidewalk outside the club's door, soaking up the live blues pouring out, while trying to sneak a glance inside at larger-than-life bluesmen like Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. He also heard plenty of blues records growing up in his grandfather's home, and listened to soul, R&B and contemporary rock on the radio. Cannon's sister gifted him his first guitar at age 22, and his natural talent enabled him to quickly master the instrument. Although his initial focus was reggae, he found himself increasingly drawn to the blues. "It was dormant in me. But when I started playing the blues, I found my voice and the blues came pouring out." He absorbed sounds, styles and licks from Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Hound Dog Taylor, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, J.B. Hutto, Lil' Ed Williams and others. Although influenced by many, Cannon's biting, stinging guitar sound is all his own.
From 1996 through 2002, Cannon played as a sideman for Tommy McCracken, Wayne Baker Brooks, L.V. Banks and Joanna Connor. But he was determined to prove himself. In 2001, while continuing to work as a hired-gun guitarist, he formed his own band, The Cannonball Express. By 2003, he was working exclusively as a band leader. His first three albums—2007's My Woman (self-released), 2011's Leaving Mood (Delmark) and 2013's Blues Music Award-nominated John The Conqueror Root (Delmark)—document his rise from new kid on the block to promising up-and-comer.
Cannon fulfilled that promise with the 2016 release of his Alligator Records debut, The Chicago Way, with his maturity as an artist on full display. The album was hailed as the emergence of one of the most electrifying bluesmen to burst onto the international stage in decades. The groundbreaking 2019 follow-up, The Preacher, The Politician Or The Pimp, built upon the foundation he'd laid, creating and defining his vision of contemporary blues. Local, national and international media all took notice. CNN filmed Cannon leading a tour of Chicago blues clubs and then broadcast the piece around the world. Local Chicago television station WGN won an EMMY award for their piece on Chicago's new blues master. England's tastemaker MOJOmagazine declared The Chicago Way the #1 Blues Album Of 2016, and The Preacher, The Politician Or The Pimp as the #2 Blues Album Of 2019.
Cannon has been nominated for ten Blues Music Awards, and, as his fan base expands, so do his friendships with famous musicians. Gary Clark, Jr. declared, "Toronzo is a beast. He lights the room up," and Joe Bonamassa rightly pronounced, "Toronzo's a great guitar player, excellent vocalist and an amazing personality."
Cannon has performed at clubs and festivals at major cities all over the U.S. and continues to bring his music directly to his fans. He's toured Canada, the UK, made his way across Europe and even to Japan. He has played the Chicago Blues Festival on ten separate occasions, bringing tens of thousands of his fellow Chicagoans to their feet. His live performances unfailingly earn him heaps of critical praise and hordes of wildly enthusiastic new fans. "Listen to a master bluesman at work," declared the UK's Blues & Rhythm magazine. "This is modern blues at its creative best."
All the attention he's received only makes Cannon more focused. "I feel like I've become an ambassador for Chicago blues. People expect a lot from me," he says. "But it's good, because I'm forced to keep upping my game." And like all the Chicago greats who have come before him, blues is his life's calling. "You don't choose the blues," he says. "The blues chooses you."
Join us for a great night of live music in one of America’s 50 iconic blues bars. Doors at 7:00, music starts at 9:00. Nominal cash cover at the door, 21+. Kitchen is currently closed but you’re welcomed to bring food in.
Advertisement
Event venue
828 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.