Colin and BB King

I have always had a deep affection for roots music and it has touched all the music I play whether I'm playing traditional blues music or writing my own. From the age of eight I was lucky enough to see Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee a number of times and it instilled in me a life long passion which of course lead me to the music of Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf), McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters), Albert King, Little Walter etc.

Like many children of 50's and 60's, my parents and siblings also exposed me to Cream, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix as well.

My first band I formed after "leaving" school was called the Hoodoo Men. I got the name from that wonderful record by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, "Hoodoo Man Blues". This record as well as "100% Cotton" by James Cotton and all of Little Walter's recordings, really got me deep into the blues.

Click to hear Stevie Ray Vaughan introduce Colin James

Later on I discovered more obscure stuff by the likes of Roscoe Gordon, Chuck Willis, Wynonnie Harris, Jackie Wilson, Otis Rush, and other great blues musicians.

This would eventually be the seed that would sow a lot of the material on my first Little Big Band records years later after I had made my first two blues rock records on the brand new Virgin Records America in 1993.

I've been lucky enough to play on stage with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana over the years.

Anyway, this site will have more blues oriented news on what I'm doing as well as listings of any upcoming recordings and blues festivals that we are booked to play in the future.

All the best and thanks for coming to the Blues Room.