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Canadian music icon making good on Okanagan shows

Colin James and Blues Trio will play Penticton and Vernon in November after cancelling in 2020 due to pandemic
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Veteran Canadian singer/songwriter Colin James and Blues Trio will perform in Penticton on Saturday, Nov. 13 and Vernon Sunday, Nov. 14, making up for shows cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. (Photo submitted)

With live music again looming on the horizon, a Canadian music icon is making good on a couple of Okanagan stops for a late fall 2021 tour.

Colin James and his Blues Trio are scheduled to play Penticton’s Cleland Theatre Saturday, Nov. 13, and Vernon’s Performing Arts Centre Sunday, Nov. 14. James was to have played both cities in 2o2o but his spring tour was cancelled due to COVID.

Tickets for the Penticton show are available at the Penticton Community Centre and in Vernon through Ticketseller.

It was in 2016 that James found himself on a blues chart. His album, Blue Highways, spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits, Riding in the Moonlight, a song by Willie Dixon that earned millions of streams on Spotify.

James, a native of Saskatchewan, has worked with some of the world’s most revered artists including, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Pops Staples, Robert Cray, Albert King, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Mavis Staples, Luther Allison, Roomful of Blues, Bobby King and Terry Evans, John Hammond Jr., The Chieftains, Carlos Santana, Little Feat, Johnny Hallyday, Jeff Healey, and Buddy Guy.

In addition to his own recording and touring, James is a prolific songwriter. His music has been recorded by the likes of Maria Muldaur, Johnny Hallyday and Lucinda Williams.

Upon his 2019 release Miles To Go, James earned the Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year, as well as six Maple Blues Awards in several blues categories.

James’ career has spanned more than 30 years, with a track record that includes 19 studio albums, seven Juno Awards, 27 Maple Blues Awards and multi-platinum record sales.

He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

READ MORE: Colin James and Blues Trio cranks up Interior stages

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