Jeff Martin of The Tea Party to fill spot in Tour de Fort Lineup

Following the cancellation and subsequent death of Sass Jordan, Tour de Fort announced yesterday that the hole left in its lineup for this season will be filled by Canadian rocker Jeff Martin, lead singer of The Tea Party.

Martin is preparing to embark on a cross-Canada tour which will take him from the Maritimes to B.C. starting in February 2027. The tour comes as Martin’s debut solo album Exile and the Kingdom, turns 21. He’ll be stopping in Fort Frances on Monday, March 8, 2027.

Jeff Martin, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of alternative rock band The Tea Party will be taking to the Townshend Theatre stage on Monday, March 8, 2027, as part of the lineup of Tour de Fort’s 2026/27 season, filling the gap left behind by the cancellation and subsequent death of Sass Jordan. Martin will be playing a stripped down acoustic set of both his original and The Tea Party hits, including songs off his debut solo album Exile and the Kingdom, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary next year. – Submitted photo

Tour de Fort President John Payne said the group is pleased to have Martin as a replacement for Sass Jordan.

“Tour de Fort is excited to bring Jeff Martin of the Tea Party to Fort Frances as a part of the 2026-27 passport season,” Payne wrote. “With the tragic passing of Sass Jordan, we had to quickly pivot to find a suitable replacement for that show. Jeff Martin, lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the multi-platinum rock band The Tea Party, will take the stage on March 8 to present a stripped down, acoustic version of the Tea Party’s hits, as well as celebrate the 21st anniversary of his debut solo record “Exile and the Kingdom.”

Tour de Fort’s passport season is sold out but a limited number of tickets will go on sale on Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. at www.tourdefort.com/events/jeff-martin for $50 each. Tickets will be available online only.

Martin will also be playing in Dryden and Thunder Bay on the northwest Ontario segment of the tour after his Fort Frances stop.

Tour de Fort’s next show is not part of the passport series, George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett will return with the second edition of their Coast-to-Coast Cowboy Christmas Tour on Friday, Nov. 27. Tickets for that are available at the Fort Frances Public

Allan Bradbury

Allan Bradbury is originally from St. John’s, NL. He studied journalism at the College of the North Atlantic in St. John’s and before that he studied at Tyndale University in Toronto. Before joining The Times, Allan wrote for CBC NL and Saltwire Network.