There are bands, and then there are institutions. Tom Lavin & The Legendary Powder Blues belong firmly in the second category, and this June they bring their irresistible, roof-raising blend of blues, swing, jazz, rock and roll, and R&B to two of Ontario’s finest listening rooms for what promises to be among the most celebrated shows of the summer. On June 24, the band takes the stage at Hugh’s Room Live in Toronto, and on June 26 they bring the party to Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario, both shows getting underway at 7:30 pm. Tickets for both dates are on sale now at powderblues.net/tour.
For over four decades, Powder Blues has stood as Canada’s premier blues band, a distinction earned not through industry favour but through the sheer, undeniable force of the music itself. The story of how they got here is the stuff of legend. When their debut album ‘Uncut’ was dismissed by major labels who declared there was no market for the blues, the band bypassed the gatekeepers entirely and went straight to radio, where switchboards lit up with listeners demanding to know who they were hearing. 30,000 sold in a matter of weeks later, those same labels came running. To date, Powder Blues has sold over a million records worldwide, a number that speaks for itself with the kind of authority only the music itself can earn.
The band’s journey has taken them to stages and festivals that read like a hall of fame itinerary all on their own. They have headlined the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, won the Blues Foundation Award in Memphis, Tennessee, taken home a Juno Award for Best New Band, and toured the United States and Europe alongside an almost unbelievable roster of legends including Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, James Brown, Albert Collins, James Cotton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
At the heart of it all is Tom Lavin, the Vancouver-based guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and bandleader who has shaped Powder Blues from its very first note. Raised in the city where the blues found its electric soul, Lavin came to Vancouver carrying that inheritance and proceeded to build something entirely his own, writing the band’s best-known and most beloved songs including ‘Doin’ It Right (On the Wrong Side of Town)’ and ‘Boppin’ With the Blues.’ His influence has extended far beyond the Powder Blues catalogue, with gold and platinum records to his credit for work with Prism, April Wine, Long John Baldry, Amos Garrett, and many others. The BCMIA has recognised him as Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, and Producer of the Year, and the American W.C. Handy Award stands alongside his Juno as testament to an artist respected on both sides of the border and well beyond.
2026 marks the band’s extraordinary 48th anniversary, a milestone that would be remarkable for any act and is all the more so for a band that has never stopped swinging, never stopped touring, and never stopped bringing the kind of joy that fills a room the moment the first note lands. A Powder Blues concert is one of those rare live experiences where people from seven to seventy find themselves side by side on the dance floor, united by music that is too good to resist. More than a dozen CD titles and a DVD continue to sell worldwide, making Tom Lavin & The Legendary Powder Blues one of the longest-standing and most beloved musical ambassadors this country has ever produced.
TOUR DATES
Jun 24 — Toronto, ON — Hugh’s Room Live — 7:30 PM
Jun 26 — London, ON — Aeolian Hall — 7:30 PM
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