Ross Neilsen

In 2007, Ross Neilsen quit his job, moved out of his house, and into his car. Neilsen spent the next two years couch surfing and began the never-ending tour schedule that would come to define his early career. The road took him across Canada, into Mexico, The Olympics, The Pan Am Games, the Hill Country of Mississippi, the swamps of Louisiana, and to Macon, Georgia, where he was honoured to play Duane Allman’s 1957 Les Paul Gold Top.

Neilsen has released ten recordings, played thousands of shows, driven more than a million kilometers, and toured Canada dozens of times. His accolades include nominations from the Maple Blues Awards, CBC, ECMA, and MusicNB — where he earned wins for Best Blues Recording for Redemption (2010) and The Shack Up Sessions (2013). He’s also a two-time semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and studied at Camp Copperhead under the tutelage of Steve Earle.

After several years off to focus on family in Saskatoon, Neilsen returned to writing following an inspiring trip to Ireland in 2023. That creative spark led to his 2024 win at the Saskatoon Blues Society’s “Road To Memphis” competition, sending him back to Beale Street. With the full support of his hometown community, he holed up at Sam Phillips Recording Services. Four days later, a new album was born — a potent, emotional record built with Memphis session greats.

You can catch Neilsen performing throughout Canada, both solo and with his band, delivering heartfelt stories, soulful vocals, and blistering fingerstyle blues.

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