THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For his electrifying 21st studio album Chasing The Sun, acclaimed singer-songwriter and master guitarist Colin James assembled a towering roster of musical guests — Americana icon Lucinda Williams, harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite and veteran producer-guitarist Colin Linden, to name just three — to amplify seven scorching blues-rock originals and four dazzling covers.
Co-written with longtime sidekick Tom Wilson (Blackie & The Rodeo Kings) and the The Trews’ MacDonald brothers, the new album finds James powerfully building on a repertoire that has earned him eight Juno Awards, 31 Maple Blues Awards, and induction in the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.
Looking back over Colin’s career, it’s a timeline rich in highlights. His 1988 self-titled debut, featuring his two self-penned hits Voodoo Thing and Five Long Years, was the fastest-selling album in Canadian history. It won him his first Juno and an opening spot on tour with Keith Richards. His second album, Sudden Stop, featured his hit Just Came Back, which reached No. 3 on the U.S. radio charts and earned him the Juno for Single Of The Year.
Colin was next credited with launching the swing revival, thanks to his wildly popular Little Big Band, who have released four successful albums to date. However, it wasn’t until 2016’s Blue Highways that James found himself on a blues chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits: Riding In The Moonlight, a Willie Dixon song that garnered millions of streams.
Over the years, Colin has worked with some of the world’s most revered artists including Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Pops Staples, Robert Cray, Albert King, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Mavis Staples, Luther Allison, Roomful of Blues, Bobby King and Terry Evans, John Hammond Jr., The Chieftains, Carlos Santana, Little Feat, Johnny Hallyday, Jeff Healey and Buddy Guy. In addition to his own recording and touring, Colin is a prolific songwriter whose music has been recorded by the likes of Maria Muldaur, Johnny Hallyday and Lucinda Williams.
Colin has set the bar for consistency and talent in Canadian music and 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, always has, and knows no other way and no other life.”
