Kirk graciously welcomed me to town and introduced me to the local music community when I moved to Durango in 2003, and gave me my first opportunity to play on stage, sitting in with him, DC Duncan, John June, and Bob Hemenger at Scoot-n-Blues.  Our 20-year friendship grew from there.  I’ll always remember sitting in with each other’s bands; the endless discussions about all things music; the road trips to see our music heroes..... Jeff Beck, Michael Schenker, and ZZ Top; the walks with our dogs..... generations of our dogs; the annual family trips to Bar D; and walking or skiing down the road to shoot the bull with him in his shop in Guitar Gulch.  Kirk had a gift to make people smile and feel good.  Every single time I interacted with him, I walked away with a smile on my face, and feeling grateful for the time we had just spent together.  Kirk was one of a kind, and there will be a gaping hole in my life, Guitar Gulch, and the Durango community.

My deepest condolences to Mary Jo, Char, Terry, and the extended family.  I can’t imagine a world without Kirk in it.  I will miss him more than words can say.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your eternal friendship.   Rest in peace, my friend.

Text conversation between Hal & Kirk: (Hal)- "I think a band of raiding Javelinas stole our food delivery from the front porch. Think you could draw that up?" (Kirk)- "Let me see what I can come up with". A few days later, my imagination turned to animation by Kirk James. It is now displayed less than 10 feet from the 'scene of the crime'. Thanks Kirk.

Kirk James Blues Band performing at the Labor Day Street Party in downtown Durango CO, August 29 , 2014. Kirk James, Steve Dejka and Hal Lott. Photos by Andy Krafthefer

Kirk James Blues Band performing at the Labor Day Street Party in downtown Durango CO, August 29 , 2014. Kirk James, Steve Dejka and Hal Lott. Photos by Andy Krafthefer — with Steve Dejka

Kirk James Blues Band performing at the Labor Day Street Party in downtown Durango CO, August 29 , 2014. Kirk James, Steve Dejka and Hal Lott. Photos by Andy Krafthefer

Kirk James Blues Band performing at the Labor Day Street Party in downtown Durango CO, August 29 , 2014. Kirk James, Steve Dejka and Hal Lott. Photos by Andy Krafthefer

Kirk James Blues Band performing at the Labor Day Street Party in downtown Durango CO, August 29 , 2014. Kirk James, Steve Dejka and Hal Lott. Photos by Andy Krafthefer

To a best friend and his family.  I am so sorry and will deeply miss our years of friendship, musicianship, biker buds and just being one of those special guys that you rarely come across in life.

Dear James Family,

I am sorry for your loss. Death is something that deeply affects us all. It takes away those we love most. But the Bible gives us a comforting picture in John 11:11, where Jesus compares death to a peaceful sleep. Just as we naturally wake up from sleep, Jehovah promises to wake our loved ones from death. In Acts 24:15, we’re reminded of the beautiful hope that God has given us the hope of the resurrection. May this hope bring you comfort and strength as you look forward to the day you’ll see Kirk again.

Remembering Kirk - I'm not sure I can formulate the proper wording to express the sadness and loss I and may others in our community feel over the sudden passing of our friend Kirk "Bluzman" James but here goes. I met Kirk almost 30 years ago like many of us did, at one of his gigs. As a music lover and guitar player, I was instantly drawn to his talent as a player. It was almost hard to believe that we had such a talent like this in the local scene that we had easy access to on any given day of the week. He was always engaging, down to earth, humble and eager to share. After many years of interactions we became friends and supporters of each others businesses. He used me for electrical work, I used him for graphics, all the time talking guitars and music. I even had the pleasure to take some guitar lessons from him. I think we talked more about our lives than learning/teaching guitar. About 10 years ago I started to get involved in building amplifiers and after some time learning the basics, I approached Kirk with the offer to build him an amp specifically tailored to his liking and needs. So over the next year or so we worked out a design, with numerous tweaks and revisions, that was the Bluzman Signature amp he played over the last 7 years or so. Going through this exercise with Kirk was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I will cherish the bond we shared through the process. While I don't want to make this about me, it was something that Kirk was good at doing. While he was the real talent, he made you feel like the special one somehow. All of the compliments that he got on his tone over those years were the best gift and greatest compliment I could have asked for. I wish we had more time to do other projects together but I will be forever grateful and satisfied for the time we did have and the moments we shared over the vears. Kirk. vou will be forever missed and never forgotten. Rock in peace!

Good buddies

Fun with friends

Recording at Scooter's Place studio.