"Canadian blues" refers to the blues and blues-related music (e.g., blues rock) performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. In Canada, there are hundreds of local and regionally-based Canadian blues bands and performers. As well, there is a smaller number of bands or performers that have achieved national or international prominence. These bands and performers are part of a broader Canadian "blues scene" that also includes city or regional blues societies, blues radio shows, and blues festivals.

Nationally or internationally-prominent artists

A small number of Canadian blues bands and artists have achieved national or international prominence by touring across Canada, the US, or Europe, and releasing recordings that have received critical or audience acclaim in Canada and abroad. The performers below are listed according to the decade during which they first achieved national or international prominence.

1950s-1970s
In late 1950s, US-born rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Hawkins (born 1935) came to Canada, where he became a key player in the 1960s rock and blues scene in Toronto. 4 October 2002 was declared "Ronnie Hawkins Day" by the city of Toronto when Hawkins was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, and he was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the Canadian Music Industry Awards in 2004. His pioneering contribution to rockabilly has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. His 1984 LP, 'Making It Again', earned him a Juno Award for Country Male Vocalist.

"King Biscuit Boy"
Richard Newell (1944–2003), who performed under the nickname "King Biscuit Boy", was a vocalist, arranger, songwriter, slide guitarist, and harmonica player. He released his first solo recording, "Official Music", in 1970, and it charted on the US Billboard album charts. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, he had learned his craft playing in blues rock bands and backing up Ronnie Hawkins, who gave him his nickname. In 1980, his release entitled "Mouth of Steel" appeared on the "Red Lightning" record label from England. In 1987, his recording "King Biscuit Boy AKA Richard Newell" was nominated for a Juno Award in the Best Roots and Traditional category.

In the 1970s, the Downchild Blues Band was formed in Toronto by Donnie Walsh. The band has released fourteen albums and performed in thousands of venues over three decades of continual cross-Canada touring. The Downchild Blues Band still performs regularly. Another important Canadian bluesman who became notable during the 1970s was Norman "Dutch" Mason (born February 19, 1938 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, died December 23, 2006 in Truro, Nova Scotia). Mason was a Canadian singer, guitarist, and pianist who was nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Blues" in the 1970s for his prominent role in the Canadian blues scene. His albums included Dutch Mason Trio at the Candlelight from 1971 (Paragon ALS-263) and Janitor of the Blues from 1977 (Solar SAR-2020). In 1991 he released I'm Back (Stony Plain SPCD-1169). He was inducted into the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he became a Member of the Order of Canada. That same year, son, Garrett Mason, won a Juno Award for Best Blues album.

1980s-1990s

In 1980, the Powder Blues, led by Tom Lavin, had double platinum sales for their debut album ‘Uncut’, which also had four top ten songs. The band won a Juno for ‘Best New Group’. The second album, Thirsty Ears, released on Capital Records had platinum sales, and a top 5 single. In 1983, Powder Blues played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. In 1986, the band won the W.C. Handy Award for blues in Memphis, Tennessee for ‘Best Foreign Blues Band’. Studio albums and touring continued from the 1990s until the present day. In the early 1980s, David Wilcox became a well-known songwriter, singer, and guitar player in the blues and roots scene. His many years of performing have given him five gold albums and numerous awards. Wilcox played the college campus circuit in the early 1980s, then signed a recording contract with EMI Music Canada. Five of his albums with EMI achieved Gold status.

Johnny V Mills  is a Calgary blues guitarist who has been nominated for several Juno awards, including on collaboration recordings with Richard Newell and Amos Garrett. In 1986 Elder Chicago blues performer Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater hired Johnny as a sideman. In 1989 Johnny released ten original songs titled Roosters and Hens and won a Juno Award in 1991 for his song "I Need A Woman". In 1998, Johnny toured with Clearwater in the US, Europe, and South America. In 1999, he joined Billy Branch's band "The Sons of Blues". He released an independent live CD in 2001 titled "Mustard and Relics" and in 2005 he recorded and released the CD "Agonostically Eclectic". Westcoast Blues Review stated that "...Johnny V Mills is the true heavyweight champion of the Great Blues North" and praised him as the "...best blues songwriter in Canada".

In the mid-1980s, singer and blues guitarist Jeff Healey caught the public's attention with his unconventional lap-top style of playing electric guitar. Healey, who lost his sight to a form of cancer called retinoblastoma, was praised by B.B. King for “his virtuoso technique” and by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who said that Healey would “revolutionize guitar playing.” The Jeff Healey Band was formed in 1985, and released a debut album that achieved platinum sales in the US, in part due to the hit single Angel Eyes. The Jeff HealeyBand won a Juno Award for Canadian Entertainer of the Year and two Grammy nominations, and performed a cameo role in the movie "Road House". Healey was a jazz radio host for the CBC and CJRT-FM, a blues club owner, and performer (acoustic guitar and trumpet) in traditional jazz groups. Healey died on March 2, 2008 due to cancer.

The late Canadian Bluesman Jeff Healey playing at a 2002 festival; note his unconventional lap-top style of playing the electric guitar.
In the late 1980s, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Colin James (whose full name is Colin James Munn) (born in 1964) first attracted attention with his blues-rock songs. He has released nine studio albums that blend the blues, rock, and swing genres. As well, he has won six Juno Awards: 1989 - Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year; 1991 - Single of the Year ("Just Came Back"); 1991 and 1996 - Male Vocalist of the Year; 1998 - "Best Blues Album" for National Steel; and 1999 - Best Producer. He was also a guest on the JW-Jones Blues Band album "My Kind of Evil" produced by Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

2000s
In the 2000s, Canadian blues performers with international blues careers included singer-guitarists Jack de Keyzer, Sue Foley, and JW-Jones. Jack de Keyzer is a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed at many major blues festivals and is a winner of Canada’s Juno award in 2003 for his album "6 String Lover" and again in 2010 for his album "The Corktown Sessions". His band has toured throughout Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe including events such as the BB King Blues Festival. Other awards include a 2001 award from Jazz Report magazine; a "Live Act of the Year" award in 2001 from Real Blues magazine; and Guitarist of the Year awards in 1999 & 2002.

Sue Foley is a blues/roots rock guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. She has ten studio CDs, five from Austin-based blues label Antone’s, three from the New York independent Shanachie and a live CD on Ruf Records from Germany and Justin Time in Canada. In 2000 she won a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy for Best Blues Album for her CD “Love Comin’ Down”, and in 2002 she was the SOCAN songwriter of the year. In addition, she was awarded the Trophée de blues de France in 2000 (Best female Guitarist), 2001 (Best Female Guitarist), and 2003 (Best Female Guitarist).

JW-Jones is a blues guitarist, singer, and bandleader born in 1980 who is signed to the Canadian NorthernBlues Music label. His band, the JW-Jones Blues Band  has recorded five albums. Known as "Canada's Top Touring Blues Act", he has played at blues festivals and clubs in 13 countries and 4 continents including Canada, US, Europe, Australia, and Brazil. His band's third album, My Kind Of Evil (2004), was produced by multi-Grammy nominee Kim Wilson (singer for The Fabulous Thunderbirds), and features fellow Canadian Colin James on two tracks. In 2006, the band had their fourth release with NorthernBlues Music, Kissing in 29 Days with saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman (who played with Ray Charles for 12 years). The 2008 album Bluelisted included guests Little Charlie Baty, Junior Watson, Richard Innes, and Larry Taylor. The liner notes were written by blues radio show host and actor Dan Aykroyd.

Several other performers who garnered attention in the 2000s are David Rotundo a Toronto-based blues vocalist, songwriter and harmonica player who the CBC/Galaxie "Rising Star" award from Canada's national public broadcaster for his second CD, "Blues Ignited"; James King and the Jackhammer Blues Band who have reformed and are to be featured at numerous Blues festivals in Canada and the US in 2009-2010; Richard Carr, a French-Canadian singer-guitarist who has performed at a number of Quebec blues festivals and blues venues; and Steve Strongman, a Kitchener native now living in Hamilton, Ontario who opened for Buddy Guy on his Canadian tour dates.

Blues labels

Canadian blues records have been made on a number of labels, including mainstream labels that are mainly associated with pop or jazz music, and smaller independent labels that specialize in acoustic or roots music. One of the oldest Canadian labels which specializes in blues and related music is Stony Plain Records, a record company based in Edmonton, Alberta which was established in 1976 by Holger Petersen. The label has released over 300 albums of “roots” music styles, such as blues, classic R&B, folk, country, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Jerry Wexler, one of the founders of Atlantic Records, states that “Stony Plain, as an independent company, is an endangered species in a dangerous world – and a source of wonderful music.”

In 1997, Andrew Galloway launched Electro-Fi Records, which has both international blues performers such as Mel Brown, Mark Hummel, Harmonica Shah, Fruteland Jackson, and Snooky Pryor; and Canadian musicians such as Julian Fauth, Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whitley, Harrison Kennedy and Juno Award-winner Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne. Juke Blues Magazine from the UK called Electro-Fi "Canada's Top Blues Outlet" in 2005. The most recent addition to the family of Canadian blues labels is NorthernBlues Music, a blues label that was launched in 2001 by Fred Litwin, who aims to "add substantially to the blues repertoire" with interesting, original music.

Blues societies

Canadian blues societies help to promote the appreciation and performance of blues music. Blues societies are often involved in the organization or promotion of local blues festivals and educational activities. Blues society educational activities include presentations on blues history, elementary school "outreach" activities, and workshops. Some blues societies organize awards for blues musicians. For example, the Toronto Blues Society has organized the Maple Blues Awards, an awards show for all Canadian blues musicians that has an annual gala.

Blues societies such as the Loyal Blues Fellowship in Belleville, east of Toronto, encourage local blues musicians, run educational programs, and organize blues events. The Loyal Blues Fellowship also collaborates with the Loyalist College's Hospitality and Tourism program to give students practical work experience with the running of the Fellowship's annual blues festival. East coast-area blues societies include the East Coast Blues Society and the / Tantramarsh Blues Society from New Brunswick.

Central Canadian blues societies include the Ottawa Blues Society, the Toronto Blues Society, and the Canada South Blues Society, which has members from a large area of Southern Ontario. Western Canadian blues societies include the Saskatoon Blues Society, the Edmonton Blues Society, the Prince George Chapter of the "Blues Underground Network", and the Nanaimo Blues Society.

Blues venues and festivals

Canada has a number of blues festivals, ranging from small, community-based festivals that feature mostly local performers to major corporate-sponsored festivals that draw nationally- and internationally-prominent blues bands and huge crowds. Some of the large festivals include the Ottawa Bluesfest, the Fredericton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in New Brunswick, The Dutch Mason Blues Festival, and the Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival.

In addition to blues festivals, Canadian blues bands also appear at a range of other venues, including bars, taverns, lounges, and community center concert series. Only a small number of these venues specialize in blues music; in most cases, venues will have a "blues night" or an occasional blues series. Some of the best-known blues venues in Toronto are Healey's (named for former owner, the late Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey) and The Silver Dollar Room. Other well-known Canadian blues venues include "Café Campus" in Montreal, Blues at the Bow Live in Alberta, "Blues On Whyte" in Edmonton, "The Shamrock Hotel" in Calgary, and "The Yale" in Vancouver. For more information on Canadian blues performance locations, see the List of Canadian Blues festivals and venues.

Blues radio shows

A number of Canadian radio stations, including public, commercial, and community/campus stations, have blues radio shows. Some Canadian blues radio shows include CBC Radio One's Saturday Night Blues, with Holger Petersen and Toronto's JAZZ.FM (91.1) has a blues show entitled Bluz FM which is hosted by Danny Marks, who is one of the original members of the Canadian band Edward Bear. The community radio station CKUA radio network (throughout Alberta on AM and FM and is available in the internet at http://www.ckua.org/) has two blues programs: The Friday Night Blues Party hosted by Cam Hayden on Friday nights from 9:00 to midnight and Natch'l Blues has been hosted by Holger Petersen for over 30 years and plays Saturdays from 3:30 to 5:30. CJAI Amherst Island Public Radio (92.1FM and with streaming audio at http://www.cjai.ca ) hosts "Uncle Barry's Blues Hour", which runs 2 hours Tuesday through Thursday 8 to 10PM plus Sunday 1:30 to 3PM local time (EST/EDT). In British Columbia's Vancouver Island town of Nanaimo, CHLY, 101.7FM (http://www.chly.ca) has a "Blue Plate Special", hosted by "billieboy" Lucas, airing Thursday from 8 to 10pm. In Northern Ontario, every Thursday at 7pm plus Sunday at 3pm, the Polar Bear Blues show hosted by Leon Bass, a member of HURTIN BLUES BAND, features Canadian Blues with audio streaming at www.cpbr.com (Cochrane local radio 104.7 fm).