James Barker Band


The James Barker Band is a Canadian country group formed in Woodville, Ontario, in 2013. The band consists of James Barker, Taylor Abram, Connor Stephen, and Bobby Martin. In Canada, they have six number one country singles with "Chills", "Keep It Simple", "Over All Over Again", "New Old Trucks", "Meet Your Mama", and "You Didn't Hear It from Me". The band released the album One of Us on September 5, 2025.
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Career

In 2015, they won the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival and the following year, they were signed to Universal Music Canada. The band's debut extended play, Game On, was released April 21, 2017. The band received two Juno Award nominations for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards, winning the second. In 2018, the band's song "Chills", cowritten by Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood and Donovan Woods, received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination and won the award for Single of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
The band became the first artist to record a globally released Spotify Singles session in Canada in November 2018. Their second extended play, Singles Only, was released May 24, 2019. It included the singles "Good Together", "Keep It Simple", "There's a Drink for That", and "Slow Down Town". They would follow that up with the standalone single "Summer Time" in June 2020, and the extended play JBB-Sides in August 2020.
In May 2021, they signed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville and Villa 40, and released the single "Over All Over Again", which became their third Canada Country number one. In October 2021, they released the song "New Old Trucks", which features American country singer Dierks Bentley. They followed that up with "Wastin' Whiskey" in 2022 on Starseed Records. In the spring and summer of 2022, the band joined Dallas Smith as an opening act on his headlining "Some Things Never Change Tour" across Canada. In January 2023, the band signed with Records Nashville, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Barry Weiss, and released the single "Meet Your Mama". They would follow that up with the single "On the Water" featuring American country artist Dalton Dover in May of 2023. Both songs are included on their extended play Ahead of Our Time, which was released on October 20, 2023.
In January 2025, the band released the single "You Didn't Hear It From Me", after returning to their original label Universal Music Canada. The song later became their sixth number one hit in Canada. They released their first full-length studio album One of Us on September 5, 2025. The band supported the album with the headlining "Bud Light Buckle Up Tour" across Canada in the fall of 2025.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee/workResultRef
2017CMAO AwardsFan's ChoiceJames Barker BandWon
2017CMAO AwardsGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2017CMAO AwardsSingle of the Year"Lawn Chair Lazy"Nomitated
2017CMAO AwardsMusic Video of the Year"Chills"Nomitated
2017CCMAAlbum of the Year[Game On (EP)|Game On]Nomitated
2017CCMAGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2017CCMARising Star AwardJames Barker BandNomitated
2017CCMASingle of the Year"Lawn Chair Lazy"Nomitated
2017CCMAVideo of the Year"Chills"Nomitated
2017Canadian Radio Music AwardsBest New Group or Solo Artist: Country"Lawn Chair Lazy"Won
2018JUNO AwardsBreakthrough Group of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2018JUNO AwardsCountry Album of the YearGame OnWon
2018CCMAFan's Choice AwardJames Barker Band-
2018CCMAGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker Band-
2018CCMASingle of the Year"Chills"Won-
2018CCMATop Selling Canadian Single of the Year"Chills"Won-
2019CCMAFan's Choice AwardJames Barker BandNomitated
2019CCMAGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2019CCMAInteractive Artist of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2019CCMASingle of the Year"Good Together"Nomitated
2020CCMAAlbum Of The YearSingles OnlyNomitated
2020CCMAFans’ Choice AwardJames Barker BandNomitated
2020CCMAGroup Or Duo Of The YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2020CCMASingle Of The Year"Keep It Simple"Won
2020CMAO AwardsSingle of the Year"Keep It Simple"Won
2020CMAO AwardsAlbum of the YearSingles OnlyNomitated
2020CMAO AwardsGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2020CMAO AwardsMusic Video of the Year"Keep It Simple"Won
2020CMAO AwardsFans' ChoiceJames Barker BandNomitated
2021CMAO AwardsFans' ChoiceJames Barker BandNomitated
20212021 [Canadian Country Music Awards]Interactive Artist or Group of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2022CMAO AwardsFans' ChoiceJames Barker BandNomitated
2022Canadian Country Music AssociationEntertainer of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2022Canadian Country Music AssociationFans' ChoiceJames Barker BandNomitated
2022Canadian Country Music AssociationGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2022Canadian Country Music AssociationInteractive Artist or Group of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
2022Canadian Country Music AssociationSingle of the Year"Over All Over Again"Nomitated
2023CMAO AwardsFans' ChoiceJames Barker BandNomitated
2023CMAO AwardsGroup or Duo of the YearJames Barker BandNomitated
20232023 [Canadian Country Music Awards|Canadian Country Music Association]Fans' ChoiceWon
2023Canadian Country Music AssociationGroup or Duo of the YearWon
2023Canadian Country Music AssociationSingle of the Year"Wastin' Whiskey"Nomitated
2024Juno AwardsCountry Album of the YearAhead of Our TimeWon
2024CMAO AwardsAlbum / EP of the YearAhead of Our TimeNomitated
2024CMAO AwardsCompass AwardWon
2024CMAO AwardsFans' ChoiceNomitated
2024CMAO AwardsGroup or Duo of the YearWon
2024Canadian Country Music Association Awards|Canadian Country Music Association]Fans' ChoiceWon
20242024 Canadian [Country Music Association Awards|Canadian Country Music Association]Group or Duo of the YearWon
2024Canadian Country Music AssociationSingle of the Year"Meet Your Mama"Nomitated
2025Canadian Country Music AssociationGroup or Duo of the YearWon
2025Canadian Country Music AssociationMusical Collaboration of the Year"Your Mama Would Hate Me" Nomitated