Northern troubadour Murray McLauchlan has been touring virtually nonstop for more than 35 years, and this weekend Muskoka will reap the benefits with several intimate performances.

McLauchlan’s Songs and Stories tour will see the legendary Canadian musician stopping Jan. 18 at Gravenhurst Opera House, Jan. 19 at the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound and Jan. 20 at Orillia Opera House.

McLauchlan has 18 albums to his credit, has won 11 Junos and received the Order of Canada in 1993. He is currently touring in support of his critically acclaimed two-CD anthology Songs from the Street, which was released last year.

“I’m like the song, I’ve been everywhere man,” said McLauchlan from his Toronto home last week.

In fact, as soon as his current stint promoting his anthology is over, McLauchlan will be right back out on the road again with his other project, Lunch at Allen’s, a group consisting of himself and fellow musicians Marc Jordan, Cindy Church and Ian Thomas.

“The next weekend, Lunch at Allen’s is playing the Academy Theatre in Lindsay, then on the road for five more concerts in Ontario, and then about 20 out west after that,” said McLauchlan. “It’s the time of year when we get out on the road and prove we’re insane by going to Alberta in February.”

While he enjoys touring solo, McLauchlan said there’s nothing quite like performing with a group of friends.

“I have tons of fun with Lunch at Allen’s. We’re like a wonderful little family,” he said. “It’s principally the fun factor that got it rolling in the first place, and that’s what keeps it going. It makes me laugh and that’s valuable at my age.”

As for the local shows, McLauchlan said fans can expect to hear roughly 20 songs during two one-hour sets with an intermission.

“If there was time, and people had the stamina for me to play the whole record (Songs from the Street), I would,” he said. “I’ll play a wide-ranging set from across the board, with a few new things in there just to prove I can still do it.”

McLauchlan said his shows draw a wide demographic of those who were introduced to his original releases, and those who have heard him later on through their parents or more recent cover versions.

This tour will also see McLauchlan taking his first crack at concert promoting, something he said has been a learning experience.

“It’s music 101 from the ground up, and it’s interesting to do,” he said. “Principally why I’m doing it is that if you wait for the phone to ring these days, the phone doesn’t ring. If you want to stay out there and you want to work, which I do, then you have to do it for yourself.”