James Stevenson (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Stevenson is a UK
punk
/ rock
guitarist
, at one time appearing with The Alarm
, Gene Loves Jezebel
, Generation X
and Chelsea
.
based punk band
Chelsea
in 1977, before joining Billy Idol
in Generation X
around the time of the release of the single
"Dancing With Myself". After Generation X Stevenson played for Kim Wilde
contributing to her first album Kim Wilde and second album Select and performing in all the early videos including Kids In America
. Stevenson then formed Hot Club with Glen Matlock
. They released two singles on RAK Records
.
In 1985 he was asked to join Gene Loves Jezebel
when their guitarist
left suddenly at the beginning of their first U.S.
tour. He is on the band's album
s Discover, House Of Dolls, Kiss Of Life, Heavenly Bodies, VII and The Thornfield Sessions. He has produced
Gene Loves Jezebel singer Jay Aston's solo
album Unpopular Songs, the Beki Bondage
solo album "Cold Turkey" and others.
During 1994 and 1995 he provided additional guitar player services for The Cult
during their world tour. He also contributed guitar to the song "Brand New You're Retro" by Tricky
from his Maxinquaye
album. He has contributed as session guitarist
on numerous recordings
including artists as diverse as Scott Walker (singer)
, Jimmy Nail
, Helen Terry
, Louise and The Hothouse Flowers and has written music for TV and film.
In 1998, seven years after Mike Peters
left The Alarm
, he called upon Stevenson to back his solo projects and he has been a permanent fixture through the various incarnations, resulting in minor chart
success, first under the guise of The Poppyfields
with the Top 30 hit "45 RPM" in February 2004, and as The Alarm MMVI with the No. 24 single "Superchannel" in February 2006 from their album Under Attack. The Alarm released the album, Guerilla Tactics, in July 2008.
Stevenson still plays with The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel (Jay Aston's version) and Chelsea who released a new album Faster, Cheaper And Better Looking in 2006. He also plays in the Glen Matlock
solo band Glen Matlock And The Philistines and has contributed to Matlock's Open Mind and Born Running albums.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/ rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, at one time appearing with The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
, Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
, Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
and Chelsea
Chelsea (band)
Chelsea are an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976.Three of the four original band members went on to help found Generation X. More than two decades after its release, "Right to Work", Chelsea's debut single, was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all...
.
Music career
Stevenson started his career with the LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based punk band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Chelsea
Chelsea (band)
Chelsea are an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976.Three of the four original band members went on to help found Generation X. More than two decades after its release, "Right to Work", Chelsea's debut single, was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all...
in 1977, before joining Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
in Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
around the time of the release of the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Dancing With Myself". After Generation X Stevenson played for Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
contributing to her first album Kim Wilde and second album Select and performing in all the early videos including Kids In America
Kids in America (song)
"Kids in America" is a New Wave song by British singer Kim Wilde, released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the US in 1982. It has famously been covered by many artists from different genres.-Background:...
. Stevenson then formed Hot Club with Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
. They released two singles on RAK Records
RAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
.
In 1985 he was asked to join Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
when their guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
left suddenly at the beginning of their first U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour. He is on the band's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s Discover, House Of Dolls, Kiss Of Life, Heavenly Bodies, VII and The Thornfield Sessions. He has produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Gene Loves Jezebel singer Jay Aston's solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album Unpopular Songs, the Beki Bondage
Beki Bondage
Beki Bondage is a musician in the punk band, Vice Squad and was one of its founder members in 1978.She featured on the front cover of a number of influential music tabloids such as Melody Maker, NME, Smash Hits and Sounds.In 1983, she left Vice Squad to form the band Ligotage with Steve Roberts of...
solo album "Cold Turkey" and others.
During 1994 and 1995 he provided additional guitar player services for The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
during their world tour. He also contributed guitar to the song "Brand New You're Retro" by Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
from his Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye is the debut album of the English musician and actor Tricky, released in 1995. Expanding on the sonic template of fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, and featuring then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird on vocals, Maxinquaye is a dark, mysterious album featuring a combination of hip-hop,...
album. He has contributed as session guitarist
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
on numerous recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
including artists as diverse as Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
, Jimmy Nail
Jimmy Nail
James Bradford "Jimmy" Nail is an English singer-songwriter, actor, musician, film producer, film score composer and television writer....
, Helen Terry
Helen Terry
Helen Terry is a British singer, known for her backing vocal work with Culture Club. As a solo performer, she scored a Top 40 hit single in 1984 with "Love Lies Lost", and released one album in 1986, Blue Notes....
, Louise and The Hothouse Flowers and has written music for TV and film.
In 1998, seven years after Mike Peters
Mike Peters (musician)
Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
left The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
, he called upon Stevenson to back his solo projects and he has been a permanent fixture through the various incarnations, resulting in minor chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success, first under the guise of The Poppyfields
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
with the Top 30 hit "45 RPM" in February 2004, and as The Alarm MMVI with the No. 24 single "Superchannel" in February 2006 from their album Under Attack. The Alarm released the album, Guerilla Tactics, in July 2008.
Stevenson still plays with The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel (Jay Aston's version) and Chelsea who released a new album Faster, Cheaper And Better Looking in 2006. He also plays in the Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
solo band Glen Matlock And The Philistines and has contributed to Matlock's Open Mind and Born Running albums.