A complete history of Toronto's legendary Horseshoe Tavern, "the Birthplace of Canadian Rock," to coincide with its seventieth anniversary. Like the Queen Street strip that has been its home for seven decades, the Horseshoe Tavern continues to evolve. It remains as relevant today as it did when Jack Starr founded the country music club on the site of a former blacksmith shop. From country and rockabilly to rock 'n' roll, punk, alt/country, and back to roots music, the venerable live music venue has evolved with the times and trends - always keeping pace with the music. Over its long history, the Horseshoe has seen a flood of talent pass through. From Willie Nelson to Loretta Lynn, Stompin' Tom Connors to The Band, and Bryan Adams to the Tragically Hip, the Horseshoe has attracted premier acts from all eras of music. In The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, David McPherson captures the turbulent life of the bar, and of Canadian rock.
"…a glorious two-handed plunge into the loam of the most famous rock 'n' roll club in Canada; digging in the weeds to find the bones that find the ghosts who played there, from Hank Williams to Tom Connors to Frankie Venom to Townes Van Zandt and beyond."
Dave Bidini, author of Writing Gordon Lightfoot
"The Horseshoe Tavern has long been the most important club in Canada, down at the corner of Queen and Spadina in Toronto. Whether it's legendary residencies from Stompin' Tom to the Rheostatics, or a super-surprise concert by the Rolling Stones, or my own band playing a string of New Year's Eve shows in that room that I will never forget, the Horseshoe is Canada's beating heart of rock 'n' roll.
Grant Lawrence, The Smugglers
"The Horseshoe is one the most beloved clubs in North America. Certainly Toronto would not be the same without it. David McPherson takes us on a wonderful journey that shows the reader why the club is called the Legendary Horseshoe and where those legends came from."
Bernie Finkelstein, founder True North Records and manager, Bruce Cockburn
