Submitted by Lenny Stoute
They say you can’t keep a good man down. The same can be said of a good music venue. In Toronto, examples of that abound. There are the multiple morphings of the Horseshoe, still rocking out after 60 plus years, the soon to rise yet again El Mocambo, the also many faces of The Great Hall, the Chinese restaurant turned dance club turned influential rock’n’roll venue Lee’s Palace, The Cameron House’s transition from dive bar to must hear music maven. Add to the top of that list Hughs’ Room, bringing the finest in acoustic and roots and folk players to the city’s west side, dealing in quality music and the pin drop acoustic supremacy.
The club was opened in 2001 by Richard Carson and named in memory of his brother Hugh, a former folk musician who had dreamed of opening his own performance venue before his death of cancer in 1999.
Primarily a folk music listening club, Hugh's Room also sometimes booked jazz, blues, classical and comedy artists as well. Noted artists who have performed at the club include Pete Seeger, Serena Ryder, Sylvia Tyson, Odetta, Jane Siberry, Ron Sexsmith, Maria Muldaur, and Richie Havens. Odetta's performance at the venue, on October 25, 2008, was her last-ever live performance before her death on December 2 that year.