B: September 22, 1948 in St.Louis, Missouri
Jim Byrnes grew up in St. Louis and gravitated toward music. He was just 5 when he started playing piano and by time he was 13 he was singing and playing blues guitar. But he was also interested in acting and appeared in Shakespeare in the Park in St. Louis when he was 15. He went on to study acting at Boston University and St. Louis University. But his life changed when he was in a terrible road accident. While helping to push a stalled truck, he was hit from behind by a car and lost both legs. After recuperating, he went back to music, which led him into an acting career as well. In 1981 he formed the blues group, The Jim Byrnes Band, and began playing dates throughout Canada. In 1996, they won the Juno award for Best Blues/Gospel Album for “That River”. He has played the character Joe Dawson in the Highlander TV series, made-for-TV movies, and in the 2006 feature.
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