He took that persona to the Toronto bar scene where he quickly became a staple, and garnered a loyal local following. Drawing strong local praise for his blues leanings and obvious guitar talents, he was sufficiently buoyed to release an EP the following year, hoping to catch the eye of a larger label. That eye was turned to him in 1988, when Stony Plain signed him and released his first major label album in 1989. Favourable reviews followed, and Stony Plain released his second album for them in 1990, to equally favourable response. These days James can still be caught performing on the local Toronto bar scene to his loyal fans.
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