“Among the most inspiring southpaws to ever pick up a six-string…Cannon shows the Windy City is not done teaching us about electric blues. He’s a real deal blueser, combining social commentary in his songs with heartfelt guitar playing topped off with killer vibrato.”
–Guitar World
“Confident and spot-on…Cannon is an explosive guitarist, a one-man champion of Chicago blues…an influential star capable of carrying the traditions of this music and city to the contemporary realm.”
–Blues Music Magazine
“Tough-voiced, lyrically eloquent and musically focused…hard-grinding blues, rock and soul…Melodically rich guitar that seethes with emotion. Most impressive is his songwriting: his lyrics are full of wisdom laced with humor and life-toughened resolve.”
–Living Blues
“Chicago’s Toronzo Cannon has emerged as the city’s next great ambassador of electric blues…His guitar playing and stage persona are both wildly entertaining, and his music feels overtly modern.”
–Chicago Sun-Times (by Mark Guarino)
Award-winning, world-beloved Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon and his band The Chicago Way will perform live at The Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, October 9, 2025. With his richly detailed, truth-telling original songs, blistering, inventive guitar work and impassioned vocals, Cannon is on the cutting edge of today’s contemporary blues scene, and is known as one of the genre’s most creative artists. His sound is inspired by his heroes, including Hound Dog Taylor, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Albert King, Son Seals and Jimi Hendrix. On Cannon’s 2024 Alligator Records album, Shut Up & Play! , he blazes his own path with 11 emotionally charged originals. From serious to humorous, his imaginative songs are fueled by his powerful, cathartic guitar solos and his soulfully authoritative voice.
Performance information is as follows:
Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025
Venue: The Parting Glass
Address: 40-42 Lake Ave.
City: Saratoga Springs, NY
Showtime: 8:00pm
Ticket price: $25-$140
Website: www.fasttonyproductions.com
*See website for complete performance information
Click here for bio, cover art and high-res jpegs.
Lyric video for “Can’t Fix The World”:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0Xf-FIjJk
Shut Up & Play! was co-produced by Cannon and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer. The album finds Cannon, a former Chicago Transit Authority bus driver, delivering timeless stories of common experiences, often unfolding in uncommon ways. His passionate and focused guitar playing sets his lyrics ablaze. From the first radio single, the attention-grabbing I Hate Love, to the gospel-inspired, autobiographical Had To Go Through It To Get To It, to the slow-burning, reflective Guilty, to the deeply personal Message To My Daughter, Shut Up & Play! tackles the gamut of human emotions. Song subjects range from the heartbreak of lost love, to the humor of daily life, to the pain of feeling invisible in today’s society, all as seen through Cannon’s wide-open eyes.
“I write what I know, what I feel,” Cannon says, “I like to put myself in the shoes of the subjects of my songs. This record is about the things going on in my life since 2019—it’s a document of what I’ve seen and been through, but the stories are universal. And it’s my way to get past negative things and keep my own sanity. Listen to the lyrics. I am a Black man in America. These are NOT protest songs. I try to create honest, common sense understanding with my songs.”
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 China, 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 enthusiastic new fans. In 2024, he brought his signature Chicago Blues to China for a series of wildly successful performances. “Listen to a master bluesman at work,” declared the UK’s Blues & Rhythm magazine. “This is modern blues at its creative best.”
Now, with Shut Up & Play!, Toronzo Cannon delivers his songs with purpose and passion. “It’s not about the solos,” says the man whose blazing guitar work continues to impress, “it’s about the songs. People get used to everyday life, so it’s easy to miss the things around them. I know the problems of Chicago, the hardships. I write about those things. But I love my city, warts and all. I grew up here. It molded me and gave me the people and places I know and love. And it produced the Chicago blues giants that came here from down south. I’m proud to be from Chicago and to be able to stand on the shoulders of every great Chicago blues musician who came before me.”
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.”