Linden is primarily a blues guitarist although he frequently collaborates with country and folk performers. He is also a member, with Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson, of the group Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in White Plains, New York, Colin Linden returned to Canada in 1970. He was already a guitar prodigy at 11 years old, and when most kids that age are playing sports, Colin was meeting and being mentored by one of his musical heroes, the great bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, which helped set the youngster on a course to pursue the sounds of his dreams. That encounter helped fuel a career that has featured his work on literally hundreds of albums. At last count, the total of recordings on which he has played approaches 400, while over 100 albums bear the “Produced by Colin Linden” credit.
As a testament to his roots music acumen and early devotion to the idiom, Colin - at the tender age of 15 and accompanied by fellow Canadian musician Doc MacLean – embarked on a summer blues odyssey of the USA, working down from the border and hitting Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Memphis and other points south in the Mississippi Delta. Along the way, they met up with and performed on numerous occasions with a “who’s-who” of blues legends, including Sippie Wallace, Buddy Moss, Little Brother Montgomery, Sunnyland Slim, Tampa Red, Henry Townsend, Robert Wilkins, Sleepy John Estes, Son House and Sam Chatmon.
Colin Linden is a genuine renaissance man of roots music. He’s a singer and songwriter of great skill, an in-demand and prolific record producer (Bruce Cockburn, Tom Wilson, Colin James), a sideman to the stars as guitarist for the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and, for the past decade-plus, a member of the highly successful trio, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Colin’s songs have been covered by The Band, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Keb’ Mo’, and Colin James, and his well-stocked trophy case includes eight JUNO Awards (the Canadian Grammy), multiple Maple Blues Awards, and a Toronto Arts Award. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for the star-studded A Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf CD, and was nominated in 2002 for Lucinda Williams’ track on the Timeless (Hank Williams tribute) album, which won for Country Album of The Year. That same year his involvement in the O Brother, Where Art Thou project was rewarded, as “O Brother” won for Best Album and the Down From The Mountain soundtrack won for Folk Album of The Year (Linden and Chris Thomas King had a song credited together on that one). Linden has a well-deserved reputation as a slide guitar virtuoso of true originality and his riveting slide work can be heard both on albums from numerous artists as well as on his own sizeable solo catalogue.
His previous studio album, From the Water, was viewed as an homage of sorts to his long-time musical collaborator and closest friend, legendary keyboardist Richard Bell, who passed away in 2007. Bell’s accomplishments included being a member of Janis Joplin’s Full Tilt Boogie Band. Linden and Bell played on over 100 albums together (more than 40 of them Linden productions), including records by The Band, Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Colin James. The new record Rich in Love marks a return to the same label that released Colin’s first studio album, The Immortals (1986) and also represents his first new studio recording since From The Water (2009).
“I felt like so much has changed since my last studio album,” says Linden. “It was as if I was writing from a different place for these songs. At some point I even began to suffer from insomnia, and several of the songs were composed literally in the middle of the night, such as ‘Date with the Stars’.”
Website: Colin Linden
Blow
Colin Linden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't own me I need to let it go
Cause having is wanting
Desire can make you weep
Keep to the shallows
There's a prison in the deep
There's a woman in a red dress dancing real slow
I don't want to catch the wind
There's a card shark with bite marks
tugging at my sleeve
She wants my gin and tonic before I leave
She has a sleight of hand and a wandering eye
She can find my pocket like a bullseye
She's got nothing up her sleeve
that she's willing to show
She don't want to catch the wind
She just wants to see it blow
There's preachers out in Reno
and down in Caroline
Looking for the answers in prayers and wine
There's lightning in a bottle that can't be tamed
and a room full of sinners who don't know their names
Like flesh and blood holds a human soul
You don't need to catch the wind
You've just gotta let it blow
The lyrics of Colin Linden's song "Blow" explore the theme of detachment and letting go of material possessions and desires in order to find freedom and fulfillment. The opening lines, "Got a coin in my pocket heavy and gold, It don't own me I need to let it go," indicate a realization that wealth and material possessions can become burdensome and limit one's sense of freedom. The line "Having is wanting, desire can make you weep" suggests that the pursuit of material things can lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
The next set of lyrics introduces a card shark character who represents someone who is cunning and manipulative. They are depicted as someone who takes advantage of others, as expressed by the lines "She wants my gin and tonic before I leave, She has a sleight of hand and a wandering eye." This character is searching for excitement and thrill, symbolized by their desire to see the wind blow, rather than catching it.
The final verse highlights the search for meaning and answers in unconventional places, such as preachers in Reno and Carolina. The reference to lightning in a bottle implies an elusive and untamable force, representing the desire for something more profound and spiritual. The line "Like flesh and blood holds a human soul, You don't need to catch the wind, You've just gotta let it blow" suggests that true fulfillment comes from allowing life to unfold naturally, rather than seeking to control or possess it.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a coin in my pocket heavy and gold
I possess a valuable and weighty coin in my pocket
It don't own me I need to let it go
However, I am not controlled by it and must release it
Cause having is wanting
Because possessing something often leads to desire for more
Desire can make you weep
Intense longing has the power to bring tears
Keep to the shallows
Stay within the safe and familiar boundaries
There's a prison in the deep
But there lies a confinement in the depths
There's a woman in a red dress dancing real slow
A captivating lady clad in red gracefully moving to music
I don't want to catch the wind
I have no desire to possess something as elusive as the wind
I just want to see it blow
I simply wish to witness its gusty motion
There's a card shark with bite marks tugging at my sleeve
A skilled gambler with remnants of previous encounters trying to get my attention
She wants my gin and tonic before I leave
She craves my alcoholic beverage before I depart
She has a sleight of hand and a wandering eye
She possesses dexterity in trickery and easily becomes disloyal
She can find my pocket like a bullseye
She can locate my pocket with remarkable accuracy
She's got nothing up her sleeve that she's willing to show
However, she doesn't have any hidden intentions she's willing to reveal
She don't want to catch the wind
She has no desire to acquire something as intangible as the wind
She just wants to see it blow
She simply wants to witness its gusty motion
There's preachers out in Reno and down in Caroline
In Reno and Caroline, there are religious leaders
Looking for the answers in prayers and wine
Seeking the solutions through both spiritual devotion and alcohol
There's lightning in a bottle that can't be tamed
There exists uncontrollable energy or power captured within a bottle
and a room full of sinners who don't know their names
In addition, there is a gathering of individuals engaged in immoral behavior who remain anonymous
Like flesh and blood holds a human soul
Similar to how physical bodies contain a person's essence
You don't need to catch the wind
There is no requirement to possess something as elusive as the wind
You've just gotta let it blow
One simply needs to allow it to freely blow and move as it pleases
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Colin Linden, Janice Powers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John David Emms
Wow. This is the real thing. Linden so expressive. Love it
ToR.
LOVE those blues licks he hits.
torontorox
✌🧡