Presented by Rock.It Boy Entertainment
From the prairies of Saskatchewan to sharing the stage with arguably the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time, COLIN JAMES still remembers the words of advice given to him by the late, great, Stevie Ray Vaughan; “I’m opening doors for you –walk through them.”
James has taken those words to heart. His career, spanning more than 30 years, is rich in highlights, including 20 studio albums, 8 Juno Awards, 29 Maple Blues Awards and multi-platinum record sales. His 1988 self-titled debut featured his self-penned hits “Voodoo Thing” and “Five Long Years”. It was the fastest selling album in Canadian history and won him his first Juno. His second album, “Sudden Stop”, with the hit “Just Came Back” reached #3 on the U.S. radio charts and earned him the Juno Award for “Single of the Year”. Launching the swing revival, with his wildly popular Little Big Band, has resulted in four successful albums to date.
It wasn’t until “Blue Highways” (2016) that James found himself on a blues chart. The album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart and landing one of his biggest hits: “Riding in the Moonlight”, a Willie Dixon song that garnered millions of streams on Spotify. His album “Miles To Go” (2018) garnered worldwide attention, debuting on the Billboard Blues Charts, and holding a position on the RMR Blues Chart for 24 weeks, 14 weeks in the top 10. Colin was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2013.
His latest release, “Open Road” (2021), is a celebration of personal connections. It includes original tunes written with long time collaborators such as Colin Linden, Craig Northey and Tom Wilson and reinterpretations of covers by a diverse group of songwriters including Bob Dylan, Albert King, Tony Joe White, and others.
COLIN JAMES has set the bar for consistency and talent in Canadian music. After 20 acclaimed albums he remains at the top of his game: always challenging himself musically. A consummate professional and a superb guitarist, Colin is a musician’s, musician. The confidence that comes with maturity can be heard in his voice and seen in his electrifying stage performance. He does what comes naturally – he always has – he knows no other way and no other life.
For more about COLIN JAMES please visit colinjames.com.
Pre-sale for Massey Theatre newsletter subscribers: May 16-18
Tickets on sale to the general public: May 19