Playing the Changes

A poignant, humourous and heartfelt coming-of-age memoir from one of Canada’s most beloved musicians.

From the prairies of Saskatchewan to sharing the stage with some of the most important musicians of all time, Colin James is one of Canada’s greatest talents.

In Playing the Changes, Colin looks back at his early years, as he emerges as a full-formed musical talent in his teens. Growing up in Saskatchewan, the son of social worker parents, Colin was always surrounded by music—from the records played at home, to the folk clubs in Regina and the Quaker gatherings his family attends throughout the province. At a very young age, he picked up his older brother’s guitar and taught himself to play along to some of the vintage blues records he adored so much. He ultimately mastered the mandolin and penny whistle as well; before long he was sitting in with folk bands whose members were much older than him.


Readers also will follow young Colin as he tries to navigate and understand the world around him. Along the way, we meet Colin the hypochondriac, who is convinced that any cold he has may be fatal; Colin the romantic, who wears his heart on his sleeve; and Colin the compulsive cleaner, whose efforts to keep a tidy house are an attempt to prevent the impending separation and divorce of his parents.


Throughout his teenage years, Colin would perform in venues throughout Saskatchewan and Winnipeg where he was under the legal age to enter, let alone perform. All of that road work would lead to the pivotal moment of his life: at the age of eighteen, with a day’s notice, Colin is asked to put together a band and open for legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in Saskatoon. That performance would go on to lead to a remarkable friendship between the two musicians.


 Culminating just before the release of Colin’s debut album in 1988, Playing the Changes is a celebration of music and the joy of playing it, and of one of the most remarkable childhoods in Canadian music history.