his band Mink DeVille on a World Tour of twelve counties in Europe with a kick off engagement at 'Tracks' in New York City. James agreed, making arrangements that his band could continue as the house band of, The Upper Lip, a Toronto night club, in his absence. James, stayed with Toot's & Willy DeVille at their apartment on 5th Avenue in NYC while he learned the material for the Mink DeVille Tour and also joined the Band in recording 'Stand By Me', at the Power Station in NYC all while taking in Grenwitch with his hosts Toots & Willy DeVille. Paul guitar played for Mink DeVille for two months in large concert halls and festivals all over Europe, including an appearance at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival, which gave birth to a DVD released on Eagle Rock TV titled" Mink DeVille Live at Montreux 1982'. There were three sold out nights at the Olympia, in Paris,(where Édith Piaf used to perform),the Dominion Theatre in London, Pink Pop Festival in the Netherlands, double festivals in Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Monico, all over France & Germany, Paul also played with DeVille at an outdoor festival in Milano, Italy, before an estimated audience of 70,000 people after Italy had won the World Cup in Soccer. During the tour, on the bus and in Hotel rooms Paul composed the songs for what would become Almost Crazy, James' first album.(later released as a CD called Lazy Crazy Blues) James released Almost Crazy in 1984, after issuing a series of singles, the profits from which were used to self-finance the release of the album. In 1986, James met Bob Dylan at one of James' Toronto club performances. Dylan decided to play with James that night, and backed James for two hours, without being identified, instead being introduced by James as "some hitchhiker from Vancouver". The two maintained a friendship over the years with Paul James being invited to open for Bob Dylan at Canada's Wonderland in 1989, then a couple years later Dylan called Paul up on stage from out of the audience to sit in with him. James joined Dylan in 1999 at the Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. Dylan invited James to sit in at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, in 2001. James almost joined Dylan's touring band after sitting a couple more times in London, Ontario, and Oshawa in 2008... James