James’ music has a uniqueness few musicians achieve. His influences began as an infant listening to his mother play classical piano. As a young boy, visits to his Grandfather’s house in West Virginia were accompanied by country music. When the Beatles swept the nation in 1964, James was watching it happen on the Ed Sullivan Show. Woodstock opened a floodgate that changed popular music forever and left an indelible impression on a musician searching for his own voice. Attending high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee James soaked in blues and Southern rock. From there he studied jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusettes.
After playing music of all kinds from California to Florida, he went back to school to finish his formal education at Southeastern Louisiana University. There he earned both a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music.
Always fascinated by music and its tools, James has learned to play several instruments. He includes harmonica, Cajun fiddle, alto saxophone, vocals and ripping guitar in his performances with the Big Al and the Heavyweights.
Notable performances include The Memphis Blues Festival, Little Rock Riverfest, Smithsonian Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Donna Axum Show, LA Television, The Bluebird Café in Nashville Tennessee, Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, Ponchatoula Jam’n Toast to the Arts, Endymion Mardi Gras Ball, Rosa Dunn Television Show, The President Riverboat, New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, Tipitina’s Uptown, Mandeville Seafood Festival, Saenger Theater and The White House.
Winner of the Louisiana Northshore Blues Performer of the Year 2003 and 2004.
Author of two CD compilations of original songs, Live at Suga Cane’s and Destiny Street. Both CDs are aired regularly on KSLU radio.
Performances with musicians worthy of mention include Kenny Rogers, The Coasters, Luther Kent, Antoine Domino, Doug Kershaw, Elliot Keener, Hillary Clinton, Washboard Leo Thomas, Cornbread, Greasy Greens, Tomato and Creole Cooking, Pete Fountain, Al Norman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ironing Board Sam, Bertie Higgins, Rockin’ Dopsie, Charmain Neville and the Bass-o-matics.
Amid the Classic Rock, Blues and Southern Rock songs that the band performs during a show there is always a collection of Cajun music. James’ reputation as a fiddler has grown in recent years, paying homage to the music of Louisiana and his ancestral heritage.
James has become known as a performer who doesn’t hold back. Give him a microphone and an instrument and get out of the way.
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