The award-winning musician Colin James discusses his new book Playing the Changes: A Musician’s Memoir (Random House Canada, 2026), with Joseph Planta.

Playing the Changes: A Musician’s Memoir by Colin James (Random House Canada, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Playing the Changes

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

As I tell Colin James in this interview, I’ve been more likely to listen to the music that his grandfather liked, but nevertheless I found myself enchanted by his new book Playing the Changes: A Musician’s Memoir. We see how young Colin’s musical tastes are formed by his parents encouraging his listening widely, and how his own talent moves him through youth, to leaving school, to playing gigs from the prairies of Saskatchewan to going across Canada. He’s candid about having hypochondria, as well as how the divorce of his parents affects him. He talks about wearing his heart on his sleeve, and working at the craft that would eventually get him to open for Stevie Ray Vaughan. A friendship ensues, as well as a name change, and soon his career takes off. One of Canada’s beloved musicians, Colin James writes about coming-of-age in the music world, and coming west to Vancouver. He describes the Vancouver he comes to in the 1980s with equal parts enthusiasm and nostalgia, as the music scene here was where he felt he could really take off from. And that he did. Though the book only takes us to 1988, just as his career is starting to take off, the book is a fine example of how hard work and playing the changes can get us through life, and beyond. Colin James is a Member of the Order of British Columbia. He has released twenty-one studio albums, has had multiple-platinum sales, seven gold-certified albums, four platinum albums, and two double platinum albums. He’s won eight Juno Awards and thirty-one Maple Blues Awards. In 2013, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. He tours constantly. Visit www.colinjames.com for information. This new book is from Random House Canada. We spoke last week, with Colin joining me from Toronto. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Colin James; Mr. James, good morning. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS