Crystal Shawanda Trio
Thu, Jan 21
|Townshend Theatre
Crystal Shawanda is the 2026 Canadian Blues Award winner for Female Blues Vocalist of the Year
Time & Location
Jan 21, 2027, 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Townshend Theatre, 440 Mcirvine Rd, Fort Frances, ON P9A 3L2, Canada
About The Event
Born and raised in Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Crystal Shawanda grew up surrounded by music. Introduced to the blues by her eldest brother and to old‑time country by her parents, she developed a deep curiosity for the roots of every song she heard. “I was one of those kids who read the liner notes,” she says. “I wanted to know who the originators were — the mothers of invention, the masters like Etta James, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy.” That early passion shaped her into the powerhouse blues vocalist she is today.
Crystal’s professional career began in country music, where she quickly made history. After signing with RCA Nashville in her early twenties, her debut album Dawn of a New Day (2008) became the highest‑charting album by a full‑blooded Canadian Indigenous country artist in the SoundScan era. Her breakout single “You Can Let Go” became one of…