Chris James

Chris James attributes his success to a broken leg, so when confronted with a goodwill "break a leg" before a performance, he smiles knowing that is actually what started it all. Breaking his leg in three places in a fortunate frisbee football accident (no joke), at the age of 12, left Chris with a summer all to himself and his father's guitar. A huge music fan, Chris' collection is eclectic and runs the gamut from Dave Matthews Band to Bruce Springsteen and Radiohead to The Counting Crows. His own music stems from his love for melodic and meaningful songs, mixing rock, jazz, folk and pop. Chris grew up in a small city north of Calgary, Alberta. His parents divorced when Chris was 3 years old, and he spent his childhood free to live with either parent, so he had the best of both worlds, living in each home for a few weeks at a time. At an early age his parents introduced him to many different artists like Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and Fleetwood Mac. Chris caught on to the guitar quickly and in high school, started playing bass guitar in the concert band. At the age of 16 he joined an alternative rock band called Lustrium, and got his first taste of musical performance. His first show was at Morgan's Pub in Calgary, "I was only 16 when we started playing in bars, so the band had to sneak me in", explains Chris, "Playing live music is an addictive experience, and I was hooked." After high school, Chris attended the University of Calgary, working toward his degree in Communications. It was then that he started writing his own songs, but it wasn't of the alternative rock flavour, it was a mix of his early influences, and some new ones he picked up in University. "University really opened my ears up to a lot of different music; Dave Matthews Band, Miles Davis, David Gray, and Ben Harper, were just some of the musicians I was listening to." Lustrium enjoyed success in Calgary and throughout Alberta, releasing two albums and playing a number of high profile shows. However in the spring of 2001, Chris decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career. Throughout University, Chris continued to write and play, he was a frequent guest of the campus club "Busking for Smiles" whose Unplugged shows drew audiences of 300-400. He also played a number of bar gigs and open mics and was featured on two major compilation albums with his songs "The Rain", and "Little Broken Hearts". In 2005, Chris moved to Canada's music capital - Toronto, ON. to further his career in the music industry.