James was only 18-years old when he captured the attention of guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, who marveled at this prodigious guitar talent, and immediately decided to take him on the road through the Canadian prairies, and later the United States. It wasn't long after that the young musician began opening for the likes of John Lee Hooker, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood and Keith Richards, Colin's 1988 self-titled debut Colin James was the fastest-selling album in Canadian music history featuring the smash hits "Why'd You Lie?”, “Voodoo Thing” and “Five Long Years". It featured a team of three top producers, including Tom Dowd (Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers), Danny Kortchmar (Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young) and Bob Rock (Jann Arden, Michael Bublé, Bush, The Cult, Loverboy, Sarah McLachlan, Metallica).
James followed up his record-breaking debut with a strong 1990 release, Sudden Stop, which was produced by Joe Hardy (.38 Special, Steve Earle, The Jeff Healey Band, ZZ Top ). This release has two top forty radio hits: "Just Came Back" and, "Keep On Loving Me Baby", and features Bonnie Raitt singing backing vocals on "Give It Up". This sophomore album further helped established Colin's integrity as an artist to lookout for.
James formed The Little Big Band in early 1990's and would eventually release a trilogy of CDs fronting this 1930's-50's style punchy horn section band, playing classics and originals featuring his stellar guitar fills and confident vocals. The first Colin James and The Little Big Band was released in 1993, and it was produced by Chris Kinsley (The Cult, Duran Duran, Psychedelic Furs, The Rolling Stones). The second Colin James and The Little Big Band II was released in 1998 on Warner Music, while the third, Colin James & The Little Big Band 3 was distributed on Maple Music in Canada and Universal Music Group globally in 2006, and he would eventually do a fourth with the band, a holiday album Colin James & The Little Big Band Christmas.
In 2008 he took home three Maple Blues Awards (Toronto Blues Society), which included Entertainer of the Year, while his release Limelight also went gold in Canada.
James released his twelfth album Rooftops and Satellites on October 6th, 2009, and it was a return to his guitar Blues-Rock roots. The album was primarily co-written by Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond) and Thomas "Tawgs" Salter, co-writer and producer of Lights' debut and Josh Groban's Awake, and it has generated four Canadian radio singles, “Man’s Gotta Be A Stone”, “Lost Again”, “Wavelength” and “Johnny Coolman.”
2011's 'Take It From The Top: The Best Of’ pays tribute to James's career's first 23 years and serves as a celebration of Colin’s return back where he started his recordings, Virgin/EMI. This Greatest Hits collection also features two newly recorded tracks, “It’s Gonna Be Alright“ as well as an innovative cover of the Buddy Miles' classic “Them Changes”, that were recorded in Vancouver with veteran producer Bob Rock (Michael Bublé, Metallica), reuniting the two after almost twenty years.
On June 12th, 2012, James released his fifteenth album, appropriately entitled Fifteen, which was produced by Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Brooks & Dunn, Jeff Healey, Steve Earle), who had handled three of Colin's previous album productions including his successful sophomore release. Colin co-writes with Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady) on the opener “Sweets Gone Sour” and the rocker “I Need You Bad.” Colin also re-teamed with Tom Wilson and Thomas “Tawgs” Salter on four high-octane tracks, including the bluesy “No Time to Get There” and the driving “Stone Faith,” the album’s first single.
Fifteen also features two beautiful co-writes with Ron Sexsmith that reveal Colin’s seductive side: “Finally Wrote a Song for You”, a soulful love ballad; and “Shoulder to Cry On,” a moving acoustic number that highlights his vocal range, while closing the album. The disc also features some inspiring covers, including John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", Peter Green's (Fleetwood Mac) "Oh Well", [artis]Foy Vance’s gospel-tinged “Shed A Little Light,” and Allen Toussaint's funky "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley", which has perhaps become best known by Robert Palmer's cover.
On February 3, 2015, James released Hearts On Fire which was produced by Colin Linden at House of Blues Studios in Nashville, and this twelve track collection is distributed by Universal Music. The title track and all but two of the songs were written or co-written by Colin.
In 2016, James was named an inductee into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame presented by FACTOR (The Canadian Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings). In addition to this honour, Colin headlined the Western Canadian Music Awards Show at Casino Regina on October 13th, 2016, kicking off BreakOut West’s 14th year of celebrating Western Canada’s talent.
James's studio album Blue Highways features thirteen Classic Blues covers from guitar-hero greats like Blind Willie McTell, Freddie King, Peter Green, and Robert Johnson. The CD was released on October 16th, 2016. Recording and Production was primarily handled in Vancouver by Colin James and Dave Meszaros, with recording and mixing assistance from Eric Mosher, Chris Stringer and Jason Jaknunas. Blue Highways is being distributed by True North Records, and iTunes.
Over his illustrious career, James has earned 16 Maple Blues Awards, and he has worked and toured with the 'who’s who' in the international music scene (in alphabetical order): Luther Allison, Jann Arden, The Chieftains, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Tom Dowd, Buddy Guy, Johnny Hallyday, John Hammond Jr., Gordie Johnson, Albert King, Bobby King and Terry Evans, Danny Kortchmar, Lenny Kravitz, Little Feat, The Memphis Horns, Craig Northey, Bill Payne, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Bob Rock, The Rolling Stones, Roomful Of Blues, Carlos Santana, Mavis Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Wilson, Betty Wright and ZZ Top. In addition to writing most of his own material, his music has been covered by artists like Maria Muldaur, Johnny Halliday and Lucinda Williams.
Shed a Little Light
Colin James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sure found hard to find mine
Love walked right up to my face
She said you know love what you die for babe
Shed a little light so I can find you
Don't let darkness hide you from my face
Shed a little light so I can find you
The say that second love, second love reveals
Trouble is hard on its heels
Love walked right up stood by my side
They say that its love or death baby no need to desire
Shed a little light so I can find you
Don't let darkness hide you from my face
Shed a little light so I can find you
I sure will die for your embrace
Shed a little light so I can find you
Don't let darkness hide you from my face
Cuz I gotta light that is sure to find you
It just might blind before that day
Shed a little light so I can find you
Don't let darkness hide you from my face
Shed a little light so I can find you
I sure will die for your embrace
They say that love is hard to find
I sure found hard to find mine
The lyrics to Colin James's song Shed a Little Light convey that love is worth sacrificing for, and that it can be difficult to find. The singer has found love but fears losing it to the darkness. The repetition of "shed a little light so I can find you" emphasizes the singer's desperation to keep his love close and not let it disappear. The urgency in the tone of the song, conveyed through the repetition and the dramatic guitar solo, demonstrate the singer's fear of being alone and his desire for the emotional support that love can provide.
There is also an element of recognizing past mistakes and learning from them. The singer has experienced love before, perhaps with someone who did not reciprocate in the same way, as he references the saying that "second love reveals" trouble. Despite this, he recognizes the importance of love in his life and is willing to die for it.
Overall, Shed a Little Light is a heartfelt plea for love to stay and not be engulfed by darkness. It is an acknowledgement that love is precious but fragile, and that it must be fought for and protected.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that love is hard to find
Popular belief is that finding love is a hard task
I sure found hard to find mine
Personally it was a difficult journey for me to find my love
Love walked right up to my face
Love unexpectedly presented itself to me
She said you know love what you die for babe
My love presented itself as something I would be willing to sacrifice everything for
Shed a little light so I can find you
Illuminate your path so I can see and find you
Don't let darkness hide you from my face
Don't allow obstacles block the way to discovering you
I sure will die for your embrace
I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice just to hold you
They say that second love, second love reveals
Rumoredly, love that comes after the first holds more truths about the person and the future of the relationship
Trouble is hard on its heels
Potential challenges are imminent in any relationship
Love walked right up stood by my side
Love appeared and has been with me throughout life's journey
They say that its love or death baby no need to desire
Love is supreme, you either find it and live for it or die trying
Cuz I gotta light that is sure to find you
I have a powerful illumination that can guide me to you
It just might blind before that day
The intensity of this light can have temporarily blinding effects
Writer(s): FOY BEST VANCE
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kenny Karlsson
Wow!!!! What a fantastic song. Gosebomps all over.
rsscbell
My favorite song to sing. Love it.
Clay Jones
awesome singer and song writer SRV and JH live on, much respect Colin.
ranadanadd
Awesome song and terrific album! Best material from Colin in quite some time...
M650915355
The
Lou Ly
Great Foy Vance cover
im annonymous
3 great guitar players front n center
reaper 1982666
That's real music
Cheryl Ritchie
Crackles from the campfire, stars, cloudless skys, smell o' sage.... man.. hot summer nights... you sure know how to make my mind draw pictures!
muffy
These two are inseparable