Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and… Read Full Bio ↴Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. James has been nominated for 15 Juno Awards, winning six times.

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.

Sudden Stop
Colin James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm walkin' out
We never talked it out
Now she's gone so you can knock it out
I'm all alone so I must do without
All the love that I can't live without

Suddenly
She stopped lovin' me

She caught me runnin' round and set me free
Now my misery's my company
And I'm needin' her sweet love calls me
I guess I had it comin'

When a man is being loved
He takes things for granted
Can't see himself falling
He thinks he's on top
But it's not the fall
That hurts him at all
It's the sudden stop

I played around
I did her wrong
And I can't blame that girl for being gone
Well I was cheating on her all along
And I can't blame that girl for being gone
I guess I had it comin'

When a man is being loved
He takes things for granted
Can't see himself falling
He thinks he's on top
But it's not the fall

That hurts him at all
It's the sudden stop

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Colin James' song "Sudden Stop" narrate the story of a man who has lost the love of his life due to his cheating ways. The song's first stanza sets the scene of the man walking out after they never got a chance to talk it out. He is now alone and has to do without all the love that was previously available to him. The chorus provides a reflection of what has happened to the man as he sings that his lover has stopped loving him because she caught him running around and set him free. His misery is his current company, and he needs her sweet love to call him back. The man realizes he had it coming, and he acknowledges that he took things for granted when he was loved. The consequences of his actions have resulted in a sudden stop in the relationship.

The second stanza goes deeper into the man's wrongs, and he admits to playing around and cheating on her all along. He can not blame her for walking away, and he recognizes that he had it coming. He had taken her love for granted, and now it's too late. The last three lines of the song emphasize the phrase "sudden stop," explaining that it's not the fall that hurts but the abrupt end. The man has lost a crucial element of his life, and he is in pain. The song carries a powerful message about the value of love and the need to treat people well when we have them in our lives.

Overall, "Sudden Stop" by Colin James is a poignant piece that captures the pain of losing someone you love due to your mistakes. It conveys the importance of appreciating the love we have and working hard to preserve it. It's a cautionary tale that reminds us to be responsible for our actions in a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm walkin' out
I'm leaving now

We never talked it out
We never discussed our issues properly

Now she's gone so you can knock it out
Now that she's gone, there's no going back

I'm all alone so I must do without
I'm alone and have to manage without her

All the love that I can't live without
I can't live without her love

Suddenly
All of a sudden

She stopped lovin' me
She stopped having feelings for me

She caught me runnin' round and set me free
She found out I was cheating and left me

Now my misery's my company
Now I'm alone and miserable

And I'm needin' her sweet love calls me
I miss her and her love

I guess I had it comin'
I deserved it