Miniseries

Whispers linger of a quiet 1950s Toronto that shut down after sundown. The era lacked rock ’n’ roll or R&B until the day Arkansas nomads Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm rolled up to Le Coq d'Or Tavern and unleashed the so-called devil’s music on unsuspecting Torontonians. Rewind to these vivid days, Part 1 exposes the city’s appetite for the brisk, defiant new sounds spilling over from across the border. With African American artists such as Curley Bridges and Mouse Johnson crossing into Toronto, and Elvis thrilling Maple Leaf Gardens, a generation of aspiring local talents—Ronnie Robertson, Bobby Dean Blackburn among them—found motivation to forge their reputations along the bustling Yonge Street strip.