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Colin (James) James (b Munn). Singer, guitarist, songwriter, b Regina 17 Aug 1964. James's early musical exposure was influenced by his parents' preference for folk and traditional music. He began playing guitar at 8 and by 13, with the addition of mandolin, he was performing throughout Saskatchewan with Regina folk band Sod Hut and the Buffalo Chips. After grade 10, James quit high school at 16 and played with the punk-rock band Nick Danger and the Close Calls. Not long after, he formed the blues-rock band Hoodoo Men and moved to Winnipeg, where he developed an interest in Mississippi Delta blues. By 1984, he had settled in Vancouver, where he worked with the US harmonica player David Burgin. James opened for both John Lee Hooker and George Thorogood before receiving his big break touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan in the US in 1985.
Encouraged by Vaughan, James organized his own band in 1986. His debut album, Colin James, followed in 1988 and included the hits 'Voodoo Thing,' 'Five Long Years,' and 'Why'd You Lie?' Tours followed in Canada and the US, in the latter as an opening act for Steve Winwood and Keith Richards. James received a Juno award in 1989 for most promising male vocalist. His second album, Sudden Stop (1990), included the hits 'Just Came Back' and 'Keep On Lovin' Me Baby,' and won James two Juno awards in 1991 for male vocalist and single of the year ("Just Came Back"). In 1990 James went on tour with ZZ Top in the US, toured in Europe, and also appeared on the television show "Late Night with David Letterman." Canadian sales of Colin James and Sudden Stop exceeded 100,000. James's emergence paralleled that of the Toronto singer and guitarist Jeff Healey, with whom he shares a love of blues-based music. Chris Dafoe noted (Toronto Star, 6 Jul 1990) on the release of Sudden Stop, 'For someone so young, he's got a remarkable sense of history - his consistently excellent guitar work especially owes a debt to the past - but he brings a brash, coltish energy to music that transforms it into something lighter and more playful.' James proved the diversity of his style with his next album, Colin James and the Little Big Band. This 1993 jump blues album pre-dated the swing revival craze and led James to appear on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and to open for the Rolling Stones. He reverted to blues for the album Bad Habits (1995) and won another Juno for male vocalist of the year. The traditional blues album National Steel (1997) was a collaboration with friend Colin Linden and won James his fifth Juno in 1998. The same year he also released his second jump blues album, Colin James and the Little Big Band II (1998), winning a Juno for best producer. In 2000 James presented yet another facet of his style with the experimental rock album Fuse. With the 2003 album Traveler James crossed over into the adult contemporary genre, and in 2005 he released the rock/soul album Limelight. Most of James's albums feature a combination of cover tunes and co-written originals; many also feature guest musicians such as Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt and Lenny Kravitz. James has won 12 Maple Blues awards, and served as host for the event in 2002. He also hosted the 1997 CBC television special "Colin James Presents the Blues Masters."
Author
Revised: Brian Lefresne, Krista L. Roberts
Discography
Colin James. 1988. Virgin Records Canada CDV 3044 Sudden Stop. 1990. Virgin 91376-4 Colin James and The Litle Big Band. 1993. Virgin Music Canada V4 39190 Bad Habits. 1995. Warner Music Canada 1 6144 Then Again. 1995. Virgin V4 40179 National Steel. 1997. Warner Music Canada CD 19634 Colin James and the Little Big Band II. 1998. Warner Music Canada CD 23010 Fuse. 2000. Warner Music Canada 2 84633 Traveler. 2003. Warner Music Canada 2 47389 Limelight. 2005. MapleMusic Recordings MRCD 6449
Bibliography
Mackie, John. 'This guitar slinger has talent,' Vancouver Sun, 21 Jun 1986 Cohen, Lori. "A prairie kid sings the blues," Western Reports, 29 Apr 1987 Dafoe, Chris. 'Colin James: happy to be singing the blues,' Toronto Globe and Mail, 20 Jun 1987 Mackie, John. 'Bluesman James gets ready to assault the music world,' Vancouver Sun, 30 Jul 1988 Doole, Kerry. 'The hoodoo voodoo kid,' Music Express, 129, Oct 1988 Jennings, Nicholas. 'Blues brothers,' Maclean's, 14 Nov 1988 Russell, Benjamin. "Colin James: doin' what comes naturally," Canadian Musician, vol 11, Feb 1989 Eisner, Ken. 'Colin James' blues from Vancouver,' Guitar Player, vol 23, Mar 1989 Chycki, Richard. "Colin James: ready for the world," Canadian Musician, vol 12, Aug 1990 Bateman, Jeff. "Colin James swings back in time and looks to the future," The Record, vol 13, 1 Nov 1993 Bateman, Jeff. "Colin James explores new markets and formats," The Record, vol 15, 14 Aug 1995 "Colin James," Contemporary Canadian Musicians, Dec 1997 McLean, Steve. "Swing's the thing as James jumps up with some blues," The Record, vol 17, 22 June 1998 Gold, Kerry. "Colin James, 39, is sitting with his first hot adult contemporary single," CanWest News, 15 Sep 2003 McLaughlin, Ryan. "What to use for Canadian blues: an interview with Colin James," Canadian Musician, vol 25, Nov-Dec 2003
Links to Other Sites
Colin James
The official website for popular Canadian blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Colin James. Features biographies, commentary, and a discography with video and audio clips.
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