A new column celebrating interesting and creative Canadians and the vehicles they love.
By Carter Hammett
It’s the final song of the night. For the past two hours she’s strutted, shimmied and sashayed her way across the tiny stage pouring heart and soul into a range of jazz, blues and pop standards along with a sprinkling of originals that have the audience swaying and singing along. It’s crowded here at The Epochal Imp in Toronto’s east end but it’s safe to say Joanne Powell has brought the house down.
The evening’s final number, Put a Little Love in Your Heart, has people up on their feet cheering this Toronto mainstay on. With her final bow, she leaves the stage, triumphant, an air of goodwill and good cheer behind her.
A musical mainstay since the late 1970’s, the Carbonear N.F.-born native began finding her voice singing at weddings before moving to Toronto in 1981. A plethora of performances in various guises have followed. She’s criss-crossed the country in an Annie Lennox tribute playing to appreciative audiences in colleges and universities near and far. She’s dived into jazz standards with Lush Life and brought audiences to their feet with her group JoJo. And although her career’s taken her to far-flung places like Portugal and Dubai, Powell prefers to keep it real and keep it close to home these days.
And getting her to her gigs is her beloved 2013 turquoise Honda CR-V, known variously as “Serenity” or “The Godmobile.” She loves the fact she sits high and can see over other cars, which creates a sense of safety.
Powell chuckles as she recalls a long-standing fear of driving on Toronto’s 400-series highways. “I started driving late, in my 40s,” she says reflectively. “I’d been losing gigs because of a need to travel and I’d failed my driving test several times after ADHD got the better of me. One day the stars just hit me and I was feeling stupid after so many failures.”
Soon after getting her driver’s licence, Powell bought the Godmobile in 2016 and it’s been getting her where she’s needed to go ever since. Now in its sixth generation, The CR-V is one of the best selling vehicles in its category. The venerable vehicle offers one of the largest cargo volumes in its class, with about 39 cubic feet behind the rear seat and up to 76 cubic feet when folded down. It’s hard to believe the first iteration even had a folding picnic table in its cab.
That space has come in handy for lugging equipment like pianos, sound systems and fellow musicians from gig-to-gig.
Furthermore, the Godmobile, also acts as a kind of studio where she can practice her vocals and harmonies. “With ADHD I have trouble focusing on the work I need to do so that’s why I’m in the vehicle,” she says.
These days Powell focuses on songwriting and injecting more original material into her shows. With ongoing gigs and a planned EP (working title: Songs in the Key of L-O-V-E) set for release in September 2026, she shows no sign of slowing down either. I’ve been gifted the chance to hear a preview of the EP and there’s a stunning gospel-styled number called “Lay Your Head Down” that’ll bring tears to your eyes.
As her Facebook page says, “Music is Life. Life is Music.” You can find Joanne’s music on bandcamp, spotify and here: youtube.com/%40joannepowellsings888