Song:Running Out Of Time
Album:House Of Refuge
Though you may not know his name, I'm sure you have seen Jim Byrnes in films and TV shows produced in Vancouver. And you've heard his voice as he does a lot of animated films. But his first love is the blues and I first heard of him in the 80s. He was born Sept. 22, 1948 in St. Louis. He learned to play guitar as a teen and took acting classes. He was drafted to serve during the Vietnam War. But it's not clear if he ever went to Vietnam and he moved to Canada in 1970. So he could be a draft dodger a la Jesse Winchester. He lived in Toronto for a couple of years until he lost his legs in a serious car accident. Then he moved to Vancouver and playing clubs led to a record deal and the 1981 album Jim Byrnes for Polydor. Though he won a Best New Artist Juno award, he didn't record again until 1987 for Stony Plain. Meanwhile, his acting career took off with a recurring role in the TV series Wiseguy. He also started doing voice work in animated GI Joe films. Byrnes has worked in films steadily ever since. He has appeared in TV series like Highlander and Sanctuary which were shot in Vancouver. And he has recorded for the Vancouver based label Black Hen Music since 2004. Byrnes starred in the 2008 film Heart of a Dragon which was shot in China by a Canadian production company. He also recorded songs for the film including Running Out Of Time. You can get it on his 2006 CD House Of Refuge which is supposed to be Byrnes' gospel influenced CD. Byrnes' latest CD St. Louis Times was released Apr. 2014. It's supposed to recall his childhood. Byrnes is a strong performer so blues fans should check him out. Here's the video for Running Out Of Time by Jim Byrnes.
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