Bobby Dean Blackburn, who says he's the first black musician to play on Yonge Street, blazed a trail in Toronto's music scene, helping to pave the way in the city for musicians that followed him, says one of his four sons.

"One of his biggest legacies is giving opportunity to people who would otherwise not have opportunity," says Duane Blackburn, the lead singer of a musical group, Blackburn and Keys, made up of the Bobby Dean's four sons.

"He's always been an incredible musician, self taught, which is incredible in itself. I learned a lot from him. It's definitely a family thing."

Blackburn, 79, who is an R&B artist, has helped many other musicians as well, his son says.

"Coming up, playing music, you do a gig, and somebody would come up to you, and say: 'I know your father, he started me out here, he got my first start.' I have heard that so many times," Duane Blackburn says.

"No matter where I played, the States, or anywhere in Canada, it seems everybody knows his legacy, if you are a musician."

R&B artist Bobby Dean Blackburn was the first black entertainer on Yonge Street in Toronto. He has helped to provide opportunities for musicians who followed him. 0:44

Black History Month has made a difference in terms of increasing knowledge about the achievements of black people in Canada, Duane Blackburn says, but history was passed down through family picnics, where family members would hear "all the speeches."

The Blackburn family picnic was always a jam session.

Blackburn recorded his 1st album at age 69

In a recent interview with CBC Toronto, Bobby Dean Blackburn himself talked about his life in Toronto, saying he grew up with a lot of racism and it meant getting into fights. It also meant not having opportunities that were given to white musicians.

It took until 2010 for Blackburn to record his first album, Don't Ask ... Don't Tell, at the age of 69. Now, he says he's fulfilled because all of his four sons are musicians.

"They are fulfilling a dream that I always had ... Back in the day, there was no recording for black entertainers," he said. "I feel like my life is fulfilled through them. It's always a treat to play with them. It's just uplifting for me."

Bobby Dean Blackburn as a young man. (Supplied)

Blackburn, who was born in Toronto, says times have changed for black musicians in Canada's largest city.

"Well, just take a look at Drake. One of the biggest in the world and he's from Toronto," he said.

Zanzibar attracted lawyers, doctors, thieves

Starting in 1959, Blackburn made a name for himself with his band, Bobby Dean and the Gems, playing in the afternoons at the Zanzibar a Go Go on the Yonge Street strip for years. The Zanzibar began as a live music venue, featuring jazz and blues. Later, it became a dance club with go-go dancers. In the 1970s, it became a strip club, which it still is today.

"I was the first black entertainer basically on Yonge Street. The rest of my band was white," he says.

"They had go-go dancers in those days. They were on barrels," he says. "There were lawyers and doctors and thieves. Everybody came to the Zanzibar. Very, very interesting clientele."

Bobby Dean and the Gems. This band, with Bobby Dean Blackburn as the lead singer, played at the Zanzibar in Toronto for years. (Supplied)

Blackburn also played all over Canada. But he says: "I always had a home at the Zanzibar."

Along the way, Blackburn encountered racism. He was almost fired from his band after playing a show in Trenton, Ont., in late 1950s. He was the lead singer but a company wanted his band, not him.

'They said, 'We don't want the black guy,'" he told CBC Toronto.

The other band members said no. "We just went on and became one of the best bands in Toronto."

Great grandfather came to Canada to escape slavery

According to Mississauga Music Walk of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2016, his great grandfather Elias Earls took the Underground Railroad from Kentucky in the 1800s to its northern terminus, Owen Sound, Ont., where he married a local woman, Sarah Woods. They were the first mixed race couple in Owen Sound.

According to Mississauga Music Walk of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2016, his great grandfather Elias Earls took the Underground Railroad from Kentucky in the 1800s to its northern terminus, Owen Sound, Ont., where he married a local woman, Sarah Woods. Here is their family. (Supplied)

The Klu Klux Klan burned a cross on their lawn, but his grandmother, who was white and from England, scared them off with a shotgun.

Blackburn says she told them: "Look, I know you guys. Take your hoods off and take this cross and get off my property before I shoot you." Blackburn says she was a "real strong woman" and the KKK left and never bothered them again.

'You basically had to fight your way'

Blackburn was kicked out of school when he was 16, but returned when he was 58 and graduated when he was 59. He passed with honours and was valedictorian.

"That saved my life. I was addicted to cocaine. Going back to school got me off drugs. And I haven't been on drugs since. It's a beautiful thing. I've been clean for 30 years," Blackburn says.

His father was among his musical influences. He says his dad was always singing but was too shy to sing in public. His dad didn't want him to become a musician because he was worried about racism.

"I was brought up with a lot of prejudice when I was younger and growing up. You basically had to fight your way."

Now, he is respected musician, with a long musical legacy in Toronto.