⬇️ JIM BYRNES ⬇️
Jim Byrnes was born in St. Louis, Missouri – that’s blues country.
He grew up on the city’s north side. One of the neighbourhood bars
had Ike and Tina Turner as the house band.
As a teenager going to music clubs, he and his buddy were often the only white people in the place. “We never had any problems. We were too naïve, and had too much respect for the music and culture – they knew it, they could tell.”
DISCOGRAPHY 1995-2017 (9CD)
BIOGRAPHY
As a teenager going to music clubs, he and his buddy were often the only white people in the place. “We never had any problems. We were too naïve, and had too much respect for the music and culture – they knew it, they could tell.”
Starting piano at age five, by age thirteen, Jim was singing and
playing blues guitar.
His first professional gig was in the summer of 1964. Over the years, he has had the great good fortune to appear with a virtual who’s who of blues history. From Furry Lewis and Henry Townsend to Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Taj Mahal, Robery Cray and so many others, Jim has been on the blues highway for 40 years.
His first professional gig was in the summer of 1964. Over the years, he has had the great good fortune to appear with a virtual who’s who of blues history. From Furry Lewis and Henry Townsend to Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Taj Mahal, Robery Cray and so many others, Jim has been on the blues highway for 40 years.
Byrnes moved to Vancouver, BC in the mid-70s after years of
drifting, working odd jobs and playing music. In 1981 he put
together a band that became a staple of the local music scene. In
1986 the Jim Byrnes Band played 300 nights.
Jim Byrnes’ fame as an actor has grown immeasurably from his
too-numerous-to-mention TV roles, with highlights including
Lifeguard in the CBS series Wiseguy, worldwide success in
Highlander, and his nationally broadcast variety show, The Jim
Byrnes Show.
As for highlights in his musical career, Jim mentions “Sittin’ down
in a room with Muddy Waters, just him and me, and he showed me a
couple of licks on his guitar.”
His greatest musical moment was the first time he saw Howlin’ Wolf.
“I was devastated. I was 17. Who could take the Rolling Stones
seriously after watching Howlin’ Wolf down on his knees singing
Little Red Rooster?”
Jim has proven that a serious car accident in 1972 has done
anything but hinder him. Despite two swipes with death and some
pretty hard knocks, Byrnes has still managed to rack up an enviable
string of credits, both on and off-screen.
Jim’s first love, however, is the blues. His evocative, smoky
vocals are found in a truth that doesn’t come overnight. During the
80s, the Jim Byrnes Band released “Burnin’” on Polydor, followed in
1987 with “I’ve Turned My Nights into Days” and 1995’s Juno-Award
winning “That River” on Stony Plain.
February 2004 saw the release of Jim’s latest project, “Fresh
Horses” on Black Hen Music. This new recording is the result of a
musical meeting between Jim and Steve Dawson (of Zubot and Dawson).
Jim and Steve realized they shared common tastes in music and
realized that a collaboration between Jim and the Zubot and Dawson
band would be a refreshing and exciting project.