By ERIC SCHELKOPF
Award-winning Canadian blues rock guitarist Colin James had to cut his last U.S. tour short after a car crashed into his scooter in September 2024 following his performance at the Niagara Falls Blues Festival.
Fortunately, he has recovered from his injuries and has returned to the United States for a tour that also features fellow Canadian musicians Matt Andersen and Terra Lightfoot.
They will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at the City Winery Chicago, 200 W. Randolph St., Chicago.
Tickets are available at citywinery.com/pages/locations/chicago.
I had the chance to talk to James about the tour.
Q – Great talking to you. Your last U.S. tour was unfortunately cut short after a car crashed into your scooter in September 2024 following your performace at the Niagara Falls Blues Festival.
You spent five days in a New York hospital and had a compound fracture to his foot/ankle and a broken left wrist that required a cast.
It was brutal. I had no memory of getting hit.
I had complete amnesia for a few days. I got a phone call from my daughter saying I got hurt.
And I went, what? What do you mean I got hurt?
Q – But hopefully you are doing well these days.
My left hand was a little numb for a couple of months. I had to play mandolin for a while instead of just because it had shorter frets to navigate.
It's all good now.
Q – Your 21st full-length album, “Chasing The Sun,” was released just before your accident. The second song on the album is “I’m Still Alive.”
The timing of that seems eerie.
I know. I was out for four months and the very first show we did was at the Lyric Theatre in Florida.
I was still limping a little bit. But that didn't last too long.
By the time it came to do my Canadian tour, I was right back in shape. It's a distant memory now, but breaking stuff is a bummer, man.
Q – Yeah, it is kind of weird that you wrote the song before the accident and now you can sing, "I'm Still Alive."
It added a little more importance to the song.
Q – Your memoir, "Playing the Changes," will be released in September. Was this just the right time to be working on your memoir?
It was as good of time as any. I've never done anything like this before.
I really enjoyed the process. And I had a really great co-writer to help me who has worked in the publishing industry.
He let me speak in my own voice. It was a really great experience.
My parents were music lovers, but they didn't play. I started going to folk festivals when I was probably 8 or 9 years old.
I got to see so many great musicians, like Elizabeth Cotten and John Hammond and James Cotton. By the time I was 16, I quit school and started playing on street corners.
And I left home when I 16. Through the book, I wanted to show people that no matter where you're from, if you're dedicated to something, you can make it happen.
Q – Hopefully people will be inspired after reading your memoir.
I hope so. I'm going to go on the road with my good friend Colin Linden, who produced my last record.
Colin lives in Nashville, but he's a Canadian guitar player who plays with T Bone Burnett these days. He's an old friend and we're going to do a little tour in the fall when the book comes out.
Q – You opened for John Lee Hooker when you were about 16 years old. What did that experience teach you?
When you're that age, you are so brave. I don't know if I'd be that brave now, to jump on a stage like that.
After that, I moved around from place to place. I then opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
He came around the next year and got me to open up a couple more shows. That started a friendship.
It was pretty mind blowing to be in your hometown – the same place where I had quit school a number of years ago – to open for him. Stevie was hotter than a pistol at the time.
Q – Do you hope that the fact your are coming back strong after this accident will inspire other people?
I hope so. It just shows that you just have to keep moving, you've got to keep going.
Things can seem pretty bad at times, but you always come out on the other side.
Q – Despite all the awards – including 8 Juno awards and 31 Maple Blues awards – you have received over the years along with multi-platinum record sales, I understand you still view your career as a work in progress.
Absolutely. I've always considered this job, this wonderful job I have, as something I never want to quit.
I never want to be a retro act. I think there is so much to be discovered and so much to learn.
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