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James Barker Band

The James Barker Band's relatable songs about beer, trucks, and working-class romance and their energetic rock-influenced performances have made them one of Canada's most successful country acts and given them a fistful of Top Ten Country Singles. Their first EP, 2017's Game On, established their trademark sound and their hit-making ways, while 2023's Ahead of Our Time showed they were only growing stronger with time. The James Barker Band were formed in 2013 in Lindsay, Ontario by James Barker (lead vocals and guitar) and Connor Stephen (drums), who first met while they attended band camp together when they were kids. The two played in bands together through high school, and while doing some recording at a local studio in 2011, they met guitarist Taylor Abram. Abram hit it off with Barker and Stephen, and he was soon making music with them. The final piece of the puzzle came in 2013, when bassist Bobby Martin, who had worked with Barker in the past, joined the lineup. Shortly afterward, the James Barker Band won the Nashville Star talent competition at Kempenfest in Barrie, Ontario, and the group was on its way. Barker and his bandmates were soon playing regularly in Ontario, and in 2015 they performed as part of an Emerging Artist Showcase at the Boots and Hearts Festival in Barrie. The group won over the crowd, and won a spot on the festival's main stage in 2016. Representatives from Universal Music Group checked out the band, and liked what they heard, signing JBB to a record deal. May 2016 saw the release of the James Barker Band's first single, "Lawn Chair Lazy," which wasted no time rising to number three on the Canadian Country Singles chart and earning gold record certification, with the follow-up, "Just Sayin'," arriving five months later and peaking at number six. In March 2017, the James Barker Band dropped a third single, "Chills," which became a number one country hit in Canada, and like "Lawn Chair Lazy," it earned a gold record. In April 2017, as the JBB were gaining momentum in the United States, they brought out their first EP, Game On, a seven-song release that included the first three singles, three new tracks, and an acoustic version of "Chills." The EP earned the group another hit single in Canada when the song "It's Working" hit the Canadian country Top Ten, and Game On would soon go Gold in Canada. A handful of popular singles made up the JBB's second EP, 2019's Singles Only; three of its seven tracks – "Good Together," "There's a Drink for That," and "Keep It Simple" -- all made it to the Top Ten of the Canadian Country Singles chart, while the latter went all the way to number one. ("Keep It Simple" also was named Single of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association.) 2020's JBB-Sides collected four unreleased songs from the band, and in 2021, they signed with Sony Music Nashville. Their first single for Sony, "Over All Over Again," was released in May 2021 and became another Country number one in Canada, as was "New Old Trucks," a duet with Dierks Bentley, that came out five months later. "New Old Trucks" was their fourth number one, giving them more chart-topping singles than any other Canadian country act. They just missed making it five number ones with 2022's "Wastin' Whiskey," which peaked at number two and went Gold. Another pair of Top Ten singles arrived in 2023, "Meet Your Mama" and "On the Water" (the latter a duet with Dalton Dover), which both made the Canadian Country Top Ten. Both tracks would appear on their fourth EP, Ahead of Our Time, which was released in October 2023.
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Discography

18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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