Colin James is one of Canada's great guitarists, having learned from
some of the best, as well as learning on his own time.
Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Colin grew up loving the blues. According
to him, it was all he would listen to for a time in his life, and he
started to learn the guitar at an early age of eight years old.
Dropping out of high school in Grade 10, Colin moved to Saskatoon and
formed a band called the Hoodoo Men. It was this band, and an 18-year
old Colin playing the guitar like he was born to it, that caught the
eye of master guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Impressed with what they
were playing, he invited them to open up acts for him in Saskatoon, and
later in the United States. Although Colin had played for John Lee
Hooker and George Thorogood, it was Vaughan that would make Colin's big
break a reality.
Colin released his first album "Colin James" in 1988. The album
featured such songs as 'Voodoo Thing', the classic hit 'Why'd you lie?'
and 'Five Long Years' that caused Colin to break the record for the
most albums sold on a first release by a Canadian artist. The sales for
this album exceeded 100,000 sales: the dream was now a reality.
After this success, he followed with albums "Sudden Stop"(1990), "Colin
James and the Little Big Band"(1993), and "Bad Habits"(1995). It was at
this time that he also released a compilation entitled "Then
Again"(1995). "Sudden Stop" earned Colin two Juno awards for Single of
the Year ('Just Came Back') and Male Vocalist of the Year. In 1998, he
received another win for best Blues Album ("National Steel"(1997)),
which was his fifth win at the Juno awards.
Some of his songs have been used in soundtracks. James's soundtrack
record includes the Edward Zwick film
Auf und Davon (1992), the action
film Run - Lauf um dein Leben (1991),
Ein Mountie in Chicago (1994) starring
Paul Gross, and the Canadian
made-for-television film
The Life (2004). James himself
has appeared on such Canadian shows such as
Robson Arms (2005) and
Corner Gas (2004).
His most recent albums have shown that he can trek into new territory
as well as retread into old styles. He released his acclaimed album
"Limelight" in 2005, which included a cover of Van Morrison's famous
hit "Into the Mystic" as well as "Far Away Like a Radio". The album
received a Gold record for sales in Canada. A cross-country tour proved
a massive success, proof that Colin James' fanbase in Canada was still
very strong.
James followed the success of "Limelight" with "Colin James and the
Little Big Band III" in 2006, which included his take on the famous
song "Lonely Avenue". The album included another collaboration between
Colin James and Colin Linden. After a special Christmas album in 2007,
James released his twelfth album "Rooftops and Satellites". Aside from
the lighter ballads, James made a gritty rock cover of
Bob Dylan's song "If You Gotta Go, Go Now".
The album was produced by fellow Canadian Mike Fraser (who had worked
previously with ACDC, Aerosmith, and Metallica), and was met with
enthusiasm.
In 2011, James released another compilation album, featuring many
classic songs from his earlier albums. However, the album also included
two new songs, such as the new single called "It's Gonna Be Alright".
James followed this up with "Fifteen", an album released in the summer
of 2012. Named after the fact that it was James' fifteenth release, the
album contains an assortment of all the genres that James has toyed
with throughout his career. The album was co-produced by Joe Hardy of
ZZ Top, James also collaborated with Tom Wilson on a number of the
songs. In between such originals as the blues-tinged "No Time to Get
There" and the rock tune "Sweets Gone Sour", James provided covers of
both John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" and Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".
Colin James has remained a favorite to many Canadians, and has also
found fame in the United States. He continues to release albums in
recent years. His music experience ranges from blues, rock, jazz, to
swing. Colin James is able to appeal to various groups, and remain a
well-known Canadian artist.
