Growing up in the shadows Chicago's blues mecca, Theresa's Lounge, had a lasting effect on Toronzo Cannon. As a kid, Toronzo would listen to the raw, soulful sounds of legends like Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. "It wasn't just the music that got me, but the effect on the people. I knew right then, that was what I was gonna do." These experiences led him to pick up his first guitar as a teenager and begin to learn to sing and play the sounds he heard. Inspired by the three Kings (Freddie, B.B. and Albert), a little Hendrix and some 70's R&B/Soul, Toronzo soon developed his own sound. "If I wasn’t gigging I was hitting every jam session I could find. I couldn’t get enough." It was during this time that he developed his own powerful, gospel-flavored vocal style and electrifying stage presence.
After playing rhythm guitar with local artists like Wayne Baker Brooks and Joanna Connor, Toronzo decided to form his own band, The Cannonball Express. He immediately was in demand, playing some of Chicago’s greatest blues venues like Buddy Guy’s Legends, House of Blues, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S, Blue Chicago, Lee's Unleaded as well as shows from the Midwest to the West coast. He has also played with some of the GREATS in BLUES, OTIS RUSH, BUDDY GUY, LONNIE BROOKS, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, SUGAR BLUE, LURRIE BELL, MICHAEL BURKS, HONEYBOY EDWARDS just to name a few. He also became a popular festival attraction, playing The Chicago Blues Festival for 8 consecutive years and the 2008 and 2012 San Jose Jazz/Blues Festival, Garvin Gate fest in Louisville KY Pickles fest in Lima, Ohio. INTERNATIONALLY, Toronzo has played Riga,Latvia as a featured artist three times. Over the past few years he has completed successful tours in Mexico, Ottawa Canada, Durban South Africa, France, Highlands Festival in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands, 2 visits to Yeravan in Armenia.
His second and most recent cd release JOHN THE CONQUER ROOT on Delmark records has been Top 10 BLUES cd on multiple radio charts (#38 of the top 50 Blues cds for 2013- LIVING BLUES) and critically acclaimed in ALL of the Blues magazines nationally and internationally. He has been nominated for a BLUES MUSIC AWARD in Memphis for "BEST ROCK/BLUES CD", and inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2013.
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After playing rhythm guitar with local artists like Wayne Baker Brooks and Joanna Connor, Toronzo decided to form his own band, The Cannonball Express. He immediately was in demand, playing some of Chicago’s greatest blues venues like Buddy Guy’s Legends, House of Blues, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S, Blue Chicago, Lee's Unleaded as well as shows from the Midwest to the West coast. He has also played with some of the GREATS in BLUES, OTIS RUSH, BUDDY GUY, LONNIE BROOKS, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, SUGAR BLUE, LURRIE BELL, MICHAEL BURKS, HONEYBOY EDWARDS just to name a few. He also became a popular festival attraction, playing The Chicago Blues Festival for 8 consecutive years and the 2008 and 2012 San Jose Jazz/Blues Festival, Garvin Gate fest in Louisville KY Pickles fest in Lima, Ohio. INTERNATIONALLY, Toronzo has played Riga,Latvia as a featured artist three times. Over the past few years he has completed successful tours in Mexico, Ottawa Canada, Durban South Africa, France, Highlands Festival in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands, 2 visits to Yeravan in Armenia.
His second and most recent cd release JOHN THE CONQUER ROOT on Delmark records has been Top 10 BLUES cd on multiple radio charts (#38 of the top 50 Blues cds for 2013- LIVING BLUES) and critically acclaimed in ALL of the Blues magazines nationally and internationally. He has been nominated for a BLUES MUSIC AWARD in Memphis for "BEST ROCK/BLUES CD", and inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2013.
Growing up in the shadows Chicago's blues mecca, Theresa's Lounge, had a lasting effect on Toronzo Cannon. As a kid, Toronzo would listen to the raw, soulful sounds of legends like Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. "It wasn't just the music that got me, but the effect on the people. I knew right then, that was what I was gonna do." These experiences led him to pick up his first guitar as a teenager and begin to learn to sing and play the sounds he heard. Inspired by the three Kings (Freddie, B.B. and Albert), a little Hendrix and some 70's R&B/Soul, Toronzo soon developed his own sound. "If I wasn’t gigging I was hitting every jam session I could find. I couldn’t get enough." It was during this time that he developed his own powerful, gospel-flavored vocal style and electrifying stage presence.
After playing rhythm guitar with local artists like Wayne Baker Brooks and Joanna Connor, Toronzo decided to form his own band, The Cannonball Express. He immediately was in demand, playing some of Chicago’s greatest blues venues like Buddy Guy’s Legends, House of Blues, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S, Blue Chicago, Lee's Unleaded as well as shows from the Midwest to the West coast. He has also played with some of the GREATS in BLUES, OTIS RUSH, BUDDY GUY, LONNIE BROOKS, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, SUGAR BLUE, LURRIE BELL, MICHAEL BURKS, HONEYBOY EDWARDS just to name a few. He also became a popular festival attraction, playing The Chicago Blues Festival for 8 consecutive years and the 2008 and 2012 San Jose Jazz/Blues Festival, Garvin Gate fest in Louisville KY Pickles fest in Lima, Ohio. INTERNATIONALLY, Toronzo has played Riga,Latvia as a featured artist three times. Over the past few years he has completed successful tours in Mexico, Ottawa Canada, Durban South Africa, France, Highlands Festival in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands, 2 visits to Yeravan in Armenia.
His second and most recent cd release JOHN THE CONQUER ROOT on Delmark records has been Top 10 BLUES cd on multiple radio charts (#38 of the top 50 Blues cds for 2013- LIVING BLUES) and critically acclaimed in ALL of the Blues magazines nationally and internationally. He has been nominated for a BLUES MUSIC AWARD in Memphis for "BEST ROCK/BLUES CD", and inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2013.
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After playing rhythm guitar with local artists like Wayne Baker Brooks and Joanna Connor, Toronzo decided to form his own band, The Cannonball Express. He immediately was in demand, playing some of Chicago’s greatest blues venues like Buddy Guy’s Legends, House of Blues, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S, Blue Chicago, Lee's Unleaded as well as shows from the Midwest to the West coast. He has also played with some of the GREATS in BLUES, OTIS RUSH, BUDDY GUY, LONNIE BROOKS, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, SUGAR BLUE, LURRIE BELL, MICHAEL BURKS, HONEYBOY EDWARDS just to name a few. He also became a popular festival attraction, playing The Chicago Blues Festival for 8 consecutive years and the 2008 and 2012 San Jose Jazz/Blues Festival, Garvin Gate fest in Louisville KY Pickles fest in Lima, Ohio. INTERNATIONALLY, Toronzo has played Riga,Latvia as a featured artist three times. Over the past few years he has completed successful tours in Mexico, Ottawa Canada, Durban South Africa, France, Highlands Festival in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands, 2 visits to Yeravan in Armenia.
His second and most recent cd release JOHN THE CONQUER ROOT on Delmark records has been Top 10 BLUES cd on multiple radio charts (#38 of the top 50 Blues cds for 2013- LIVING BLUES) and critically acclaimed in ALL of the Blues magazines nationally and internationally. He has been nominated for a BLUES MUSIC AWARD in Memphis for "BEST ROCK/BLUES CD", and inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2013.
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401 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
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