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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 Leaving Normal (1992), the action film Run (1991), Due South (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.
