To say that Colin James is big in Canada is an understatement. With eight Juno Awards (Canadian Grammies) and 31 Maple Leaf Blues Awards, James might be the most prominent member of a healthy Canadian blues scene that has included the likes of Steve Dawson, Colin Linden, Sue Foley, Jim Byrnes, JW-Jones, Big Dave McLean and Harry Manx.
Born Colin James Munn in Regina, Saskatchewan, James dropped out of school in 10th grade to pursue music, and he reportedly got his big break opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan as a 20-year-old in 1984. His self-titled first album was released in 1988, and he has dropped new music regularly since then, touring early on with his “Little Big Band” and raking in the awards in Canada. Among his early recording highlights was Bad Habits in 1995.
Since he has spent most of his time in Canada, I only became aware of James’ music since his 2016 release, Blue Highways, which he followed with Miles to Go in 2018 and Open Road in 2021 (I guess he’s on the road a lot). Throughout those albums he showed his outstanding guitar chops, and all of those records are fun to listen to.
On Chasing the Sun, which releases tomorrow, James enlisted the services of Lucinda Williams, who shares the vocals on the opening song, “Protection” (check it out below); and Charlie Musselwhite, who plays harp on “Devilment” and “Come to Find Out.” It’s a great album worth a listen.
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.