Doug Paisley at the Grand Ole Cameron

Last night at Toronto’s historic Cameron House, Doug Paisley hosted his popular but all too occasional Golden Country Classics show, giving the packed front room a cozy respite from a nasty pre-winter storm.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter delivered resonant renditions of well-worn weepers by Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and George Jones, backed by Blue Rodeo’s sturdy rhythm section of Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem, ace fiddler Kendel Carson and master ivories tickler John Sheard.

A superb composer himself, Paisley also sang his fine “Starter Home” before delivering warm, lovingly burnished covers of Ron Hynes and Bob Dylan. Paisley’s Toronto appearances are all too infrequent these days, so his current Cameron residency (Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. through November) is not to be missed.

A partial list of Paisley's chosen Golden Country Classics:

• Today I Started Loving You Again (Merle Haggard)
• She Thinks I Still Care (George Jones)
• Pancho & Lefty (Merle Haggard)
• Satisfied Mind (Johnny Cash)
• Sonny’s Dream (Ron Hynes)
• I Threw It All Away (Bob Dylan)
• I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Dylan)