Al Cromwell

{{Infobox musical artist

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| name = Al Cromwell

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| image = Portrait of Al Cromwell, ca. 1963.tif

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| alt = Promotional photograph of folk musician Al Cromwell, of Phinneys Cove, Nova Scotia, published in the 1963 program of the Mariposa Folk Festival.

| caption = Cromwell, {{circa|1963}}

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| birth_date = 1938

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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|09|28|1938}}

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| genre = {{hlist|Folk|R&B|spirituals}}

| occupation = Singer, instrumentalist

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| years_active = 1963–1995

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Alan Cromwell (1938 – 28 September 1995) was a Canadian blues and folk musician who was active on the folk scene in Toronto, during the 1960s and 1970s, where he performed at Steele's Tavern,{{cite magazine|magazine=Torontoist|url=https://torontoist.com/2015/01/historicist-steeles-tavern-and-the-rise-of-gordon-lightfoot/ |title= Historicist: Steele's Tavern and the Rise of Gordon Lightfoot |first=Kevin |last=Plummer |date=10 January 2015 |access-date=28 December 2020}} the Horseshoe Tavern, The Purple Onion and various venues in Kensington Market and Yorkville, Toronto.{{Cite web|publisher=YouTube|title=Al Cromwell|date=2012-07-28|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tGdVmkwKGs|access-date=2018-06-30}}{{better source|date=March 2023}}{{Cite news|title=In Town and Out|last=Barker|first=Gerry|date=26 October 1963|work=Toronto Daily Star|page=28}} From Phinneys Cove, Nova Scotia, he learned spirituals, blues, and folk songs from his father, Norman Cromwell.{{Cite book|url=https://digital.library.yorku.ca/yul-1121579/5|title=3rd Annual Mariposa Folk Festival : August 9th, 10th & 11th Orillia Ontario Canada|year=1963|location=Toronto|pages=3}}{{better source|date=March 2023}}

Cromwell performed during the early years of the Mariposa Folk Festival, notably in 1963.{{cite AV media |people=Sydney Banks (producer), George Dick (director), Ed MacNamara (host) |date=1963 |title=Mariposa Folk Festival concert film, 1963 |url=https://digital.library.yorku.ca/yul-372336/asc17501-02 |format=16 mm |publisher=Screen-Bank Productions }}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In the 1980s, Cromwell became better known as a blues player, playing with Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Josh White.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/blues-emc/|title=Blues|last=Bowman|first=Durrell|work=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=2018-06-30|language=en}}{{failed verification|date=March 2023}} He continued to be a regular live performer in Toronto throughout the 1980s and 1990s in jazz and folk clubs. He is included on the live album Grossman's Live issued in 1987.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Grossmans-Live/release/7277794|title=Various - Grossman's Live|website=Discogs|date=1987 |language=en|access-date=2018-06-30}}{{better source|date=March 2023}}{{Citation|last=Blair Cromwell|title=Al's Blues - Al Cromwell|date=2013-01-21|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQKays3aKY|access-date=2018-06-30}}{{better source|date=March 2023}}

Cromwell died in Toronto on September 28, 1995.{{Cite news|title=Bluesman Al Cromwell Dies|date=2 October 1995|work=Toronto Star|page=E4}}{{Cite journal|date=October 1995|title=Al Cromwell 1938-1995|journal=Toronto Blues Society Newsletter|volume=2 : 9|pages=3}} He was posthumously inducted as a memorial member of the Porcupine Awards Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.backtothesugarcamp.com/1995.htm|title=1995 Porcupine Awards|last=Fruitman|first=Steve|date=2012|access-date=2018-06-30}} An award was established in his name in the Folk/Blues category in the same year.