John James is a fingerstyle guitarist,composer and entertainer. His popular appeal is attributed to his ability to entertain with humour & musicianship,a blend of presentation and performance that has brought the art of the fingerstyle guitar from the dedicated guitar fans to the appeal of a wider audience.
Biography
James learned the rudiments of music at the piano, switching to the guitar at the age of 12. He played in pop and R&B bands before concentrating on solo acoustic guitar. In 1968 he made a name for himself in the folk clubs of the U.K., playing his own songs & arrangements of blues, jazz, and ragtime pieces. Critics dubbed him the "Welsh Guitar Wizard". He recorded several albums for Transatlantic in the early 1970s, including an album of duets with guitarist Pete Berryman called Sky in My Pie. His contemporaries on the label included Pentangle, Gerry Rafferty, Ralph McTell, Gordon Giltrap, Paul Brady, and Steve Tilston. He was one of the first guitarists in the UK to arrange and record the music of Scott Joplin. In the mid 1970s he signed with Kicking Mule Records and in 1976 released an album of fingerpicking guitar solos and duets called Descriptive Guitar Instrumentals. This album included guitarists John Renbourn and Duck Baker. According to Stefan Grossman, James's compositions were written in musical form without the aid of the guitar, enabling him to develop ideas without being limited by his technique. With a career spanning over four decades, James has recorded over 15 albums and toured extensively, playing with Jools Holland, Ralph McTell, John Martyn, Led Zeppelin, Happy Traum, Eddie Walker and Dick Heckstall-Smith, John Mayall, and Jack Bruce. He was a guest on the last tour by Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry of the UK in 1976. He has performed at Royal Albert Hall, Paris Olympia, Edinburgh and CambridgeFolk Festivals. His compositions have appeared in method books by Stefan Grossman. He was a columnist for Guitar International magazine and produced best-selling guitar tuition cassettes and videos. He has appeared on many UK radio and TV shows, including presenting the BBCTV seriesBroadsides. James has played a variety of different acoustic guitars over the years: Levin Goliath, Gibson LG1, Fylde Oberon, Fylde nine-string acoustic, and Martin M36.
