Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) will recognize legendary Vancouver blues musician and actor Jim Byrnes with an honorary degree at the university’s convocation ceremony in Surrey today.
Byrnes, a singer-songwriter and actor whose show business career spans five decades, will receive a doctorate of laws.
“Jim Byrnes is a man of remarkable resilience. A humble person who has always sought ways to help others, he has supported numerous charitable causes while overcoming significant challenges on his inspiring path toward success, and also bringing joy to so many people,” says Dr. Alan Davis, president and vice-chancellor of KPU.
Byrnes was born surrounded by music in St. Louis, Missouri. Rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Chuck Berry lived eight blocks away. Ike and Tina Turner were the house band at his neighbourhood bowling alley.
By age 13 Byrnes was singing and playing blue guitar. He landed his first professional gig as a teenager in 1964 – the first of countless shows he would perform over the course of his career.
With a dream of becoming an actor, Byrnes studied theatre in universities in Boston and St. Louis before heading north to B.C. In 1972, at age 23, Byrnes was living on Vancouver Island when his life changed forever.
While helping move a vehicle stalled on a highway, a truck hit him from behind. His injuries were so severe that medical staff at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital had to amputate his legs.
“I didn’t know where I was going or what I was going to do. After the accident where I lost my legs, it was either do this or give up. And I just couldn’t give up,” he says.
Byrnes, who now lives in Vancouver, remembers the support he received from the community. The singer and his signature smoky voice soon made a name for himself as a staple of the local music scene – and he never missed a chance to give back.
Byrnes has been an ardent supporter of the Face the World Foundation, which helps the less fortunate in Vancouver. He’s also a supporter and board member of Odd Squad Productions, which designs programs to empower youth to make positive life choices that encourage drug-free healthy living. Byrnes also visits hospital patients who’ve lost a limb.
“I convince them it’s not over. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be good,” he says.
Byrnes also found success in acting, landing numerous TV and movie roles, including parts in TV’s Wiseguy and Highlander series, along with his national variety show The Jim Byrnes Show.
In 2022 Byrnes was appointed to the Order of Canada. His latest recognition, from KPU, “knocks me over,” he says.
“I’m eternally grateful and honoured, and humbled by the fact that people saw that I showed up. After some trouble in my life, I turned it around and I showed up. And maybe that can provide some inspiration for other people.”