When award-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Steve Strongman steps onto the stage at the Kingston Grand Theatre this fall, he’ll be returning to a kind of musical homecoming—both to the blues music that first lit his fire and to a city he calls “a true hidden gem for live music.”

Strongman and his full band perform Friday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m., presented by Grand OnStage. It’s his first Kingston headlining appearance since touring with the Fabulous Thunderbirds last year, and he promises to make the most of it. Tickets and details are available here: web link

“Kingston’s always been a really great place for me to play,” Strongman says. “It’s got such a deep live-music culture, and the Kingston Grand Theatre has this incredible sound and intimacy—you can feel the history in the room.”

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From the Fire Escape to the Main Stage

Long before the JUNO Awards and international tours, Strongman was a teenage guitar kid in Kitchener, Ontario, sneaking up the fire escape at the legendary club Pop the Gator to catch the sounds that would change his life.

“We had to go up the back, up the fire escape and sneak in the window,” he recalls with a laugh. “The night I did, it was Kim Wilson, James Harmon, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Mel Brown—absolute legends. I was blown away. I realized that what I loved about all the classic-rock stuff I’d been learning was really the blues underneath it all.”

That night sparked a mentorship with Mississippi guitar great Mel Brown, who soon became a father-figure and teacher.

“Mel never told you what to do,” Strongman says. “He’d just say, ‘The blues is in you—it’ll always be there for you.’ That really stuck with me. He loved jazz, country, everything, and he taught me to keep an open mind. That’s still how I approach music.”

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Defining His Own Sound

After years of touring rock, country and pop stages across North America and Europe, Strongman found his way back to the blues for good. Yet his view of the genre is anything but narrow.

“Blues music is like a blank canvas,” he explains. “It’s the foundation of so many different styles. People want to put you in a box—‘you’re a blues guy’—but to me, it’s in everything I do.”

That open-mindedness helped him craft an acoustic detour, A Natural Fact, which earned him a JUNO Award in 2013.

“That was a big one for me,” he says. “It was such a departure from what people expected—more singer-songwriter, more acoustic—and to have that recognized felt like a turning point.”

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A Career in Full Circle

The same spirit of exploration led Strongman to co-produce the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ 50th anniversary album, Struck Down, released on Stony Plain Records in 2024. The project, featuring Bonnie Raitt, Billy Gibbons, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal and Mick Fleetwood, debuted at number one in Canada and the U.S.

“It was an incredible learning experience,” Strongman says. “I came at it from the other side of the glass—as a producer, not just a player. Working with Kim Wilson, it all came full circle. I told him the story of sneaking in to see him at Pop the Gator, and now here we were, writing together in California.”

He laughs at the symmetry: from a teenager hiding on a fire escape to a collaborator with his one-time heroes.

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Moments to Remember

Strongman’s career has been rich with “pinch-me” moments.

“Playing in my hometown, opening for B.B. King at Centre in the Square—that was huge,” he says. “I used to walk past that building on my way to soccer practice thinking, ‘One day I’ll play there.’ And there I was, sharing the bill with one of the greatest blues artists ever.”

Another came when he opened for Buddy Guy in Hamilton.

“After the set I went out to the merch table, and the lineup was around the bar. I thought people were buying drinks, but they were lining up for my CDs. That was the night I realized, okay—this can really work.”

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The Kingston Connection

Though he’s played to crowds around the world, Strongman says there’s something special about coming back to Ontario and to a venue like the Kingston Grand Theatre.

“I honestly believe Kingston is a true hidden gem,” he says. “As a touring artist, you play all kinds of places and sizes of venues to make a living. But when you’re in a room like the Grand, you pick up on that energy—it sounds fantastic, it feels fantastic, and the audience gives it right back.”

He compares his pre-show mindset to an athlete’s.

“It’s like pre-game for me,” he says. “I get in the zone, think about the set list, about what kind of energy I want to bring. And I remind myself that people have taken time out of their lives—got babysitters, rearranged things—to come out for live music. You can’t take that for granted.”

That dedication translates on stage.

“Whether it’s 20 people or 2,000, I’m full throttle,” Strongman says. “My shows are passionate, energetic and real.”

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What Kingston Fans Can Expect

The November 14 show will feature Strongman’s full band, blending the fire of his electric performances with the nuance of his acoustic work.

“I want to show all aspects of what I’ve done on my records,” he says. “There’ll be an acoustic element, but mostly it’s going to be high-octane blues—lots of energy.”

For those who last saw him supporting the Fabulous Thunderbirds, he promises a new experience.

“People who caught me at the Baby Grand or with the Thunderbirds are going to see a different side this time,” he says. “It’s my show, my material, the way I’ve envisioned it.”

And if there’s one thing he hopes people take away?

“I just hope they leave feeling good—excited and happy that they came,” Strongman says with a grin. “I want them to have a great night of live music and hopefully walk away as lifelong Steve Strongman fans.” Posted: Oct 22, 2025