Resident of Vancouver, but born in St. Louis in the same time frame as Ike Turner, Jimmy Johnson and Chuck Berry, Jim Byrnes has shared the stage with many Blues legends. Recorded and produced in Vancouver by another Juno Award winner Steve Dawson, House of Refuge is the follow up to 2004's Fresh Horses and is much more than just a gospel tinged record. It is a twelve track long player of songs and stories of deep soul and faith all brought to breathe by a lust for life and a deference for death. Besides Byrnes and Dawson on guitars, the album features Jesse Zubot on fiddle and mandolin, Elliot Polsky on percussion and drums, Keith Lowe on double bass, Chris Gestrin on keyboard/organ/accordion and the gospel trio The Sojourners (Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders, and Ron Small) on vocals. Byrnes is a Juno winner and nominee for his Blues/Gospel releases.
