It’s been over 40 years since The Legendary Downchild Blues Band have played the iconic El Mocambo in Toronto. So Donnie Walsh & co. thought it would be fun to play the club one more time — on Sat., Nov. 25, 2023.
It’s going to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for Downchild and their fans to get together at the El Mocambo one more time — while it will also be a whole new experience, thanks to the venue’s multi-million-dollar renovation and state-of-the-art sound system.
Downchild have a long history with the Elmo — they were the club’s house band in the early ’70s, and recorded their live album But I’m On The Guest List there to a packed house in 1982.
In the early days, the El Mocambo was a lowdown joint on Spadina Avenue that hosted the likes of Downchild, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. In later years, bands like Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Joan Jett and U2 graced the stage — and of course, The Rolling Stones’ unforgettable surprise performance at the club (with Margaret Trudeau in tow) in 1977 is a thing of legend.
Downchild leader and co-founder Walsh, often called the “father of Canadian blues,” is a member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, alongside other great songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
The Legendary Downchild Blues Band are a Canadian blues institution with an international reputation. They have shared the stage with blues icons like B.B. King, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker — to name a few — and have performed around the world, leaving fans thoroughly entertained wherever they go.
The opening act for this historic show will be Canadian roots singer-songwriter and keyboard player Jeff Rogers. His soulful voice invite comparison to Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles or even Otis Redding, while, his tone, range, phrasing and sincerity are unmistakably contemporary and original. His just-released album Dream Job was recorded in the music mecca of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with legendary musicians such as Colin Linden, Kelvin Holly (Little Richard), Clayton Ivey (Staple Sisters), Justin Holder (Keb Mo’) and Shonna Tucker (Drive-By Truckers), and more.
Tickets for The Legendary Downchild Blues Band’s Nov. 25 show at the El Mocambo go on sale Oct. 31 HERE. Seating is limited, so get them while you can.
