Jimmy James is a soul music

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.

The Vagabonds

"The Vagabonds" was the name of Jimmy James backing group, members have included:

• Rupert Balgobin (drums, 1960–70)
• Coleson Chen (bass, 1960–70)
• Phil Chen
  Phil Chen
  Phil Chen is a well-known Chinese-Jamaican bassist. He was one of England's most utilized session bassists during the 1970s and 1980s, including being part of the Rod Stewart band from 1977 to 1980, but is probably best known for his later work with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors.-Life...
  
   (guitar, 1960–70)
• Fred Fredericks (saxophone, 1960–70)
• Carl Griffiths (saxophone, 1960–70)
• Count Prince Miller (vocals, 1960–70)
• Carl Noel (keyboards, 1960–67)
• Art Regis (Hammond organ, 1967–1969)
• Wallace Wilson (guitar, 1960–70)
• Alan Wood (bass, 1973–77)
• Dave Hopper (guitar, 1973–74)
• Fred Guite (drums, 1973–74)
• Pete Wright (drums, 1974–75)
• Russ Courtenay (drums, 1975–77)
• Chris Garfield (guitar, 1975–77)
• Alan Kirk (keyboards, 1975–77)
• Pete Gill (drums, 1974–1975)
• John Steele (guitar, 1974–1975)
• Rick Sequeira (keyboards, 1974–1975)
• Andrew Platts (trombone and vocals 1977-1979)
• Glenn Harland (Lead Guitarist 1981-1984)
• John Wintony (Keyboards 1981-1984)
• Dave Bussey (Drums 1981-1984
• Chris Turner (Bass 1981-1984)
• Steve Ward (lead guitarist, 1990–1995)
• David Cooke (keyboards, 1990–1995)
• Pat Coleman (drums, 1990–1994)
• Mario James (Bass, 1990–1992)
• Mike Scrimshaw (Bass, 1992)

Career

The Vagabonds were originally formed in 1960. Later, James, already a successful solo

Solo (music)

In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...

 artist

Musician

A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

 in Jamaica, teamed up with them and in April 1964, they relocated to the UK

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...

. "Ska Time" (Decca Records

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

) was recorded

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...

 within two weeks of their arrival, and is one of the first examples of Jamaican ska

Ska

Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...

 music to be recorded in the UK. In 1965 they undertook more gigs

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 and recordings in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, organised as part of a cultural exchange programme, with The Vagabonds being one of the few Western Europe

Western Europe

Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

an bands ever to play in the former communist state. Also in 1965, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds supported The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

 at the Marquee Club

Marquee Club

The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....

 in London

London

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...

.

They signed a recording contract

Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Pye Records

Pye Records

Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...

 and released their best known studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

 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...

, The New Religion in 1966. The band also played as support for The Who, and Sonny & Cher

Sonny & Cher

Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....

, Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....

 (who was also on Pye Records at the time), and The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

. The band often used the Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

, once being there at the same time as The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 were recording. Their live performance was captured in the 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...

, Live at the Marquee, also featuring The Alan Bown Set

The Alan Bown Set

The Alan Bown Set later known as The Alan Bown! or just Alan Bown, were a British band of the 1960s and 1970s whose music evolved from jazz and blues through soul and rhythm and blues and ended up as psychedelia and progressive rock...

. Jimmy James and the Vagabonds were labelmates and rivals of Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band

Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were an English based soul band, active from 1965 to 1968.-Career:The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 and evolved out of a group called Les Blues who were formed to rival an English group with a Black American singer called Milton And The Continentals...

.

The Vagabonds disbanded in 1970, but James, who owned the name, reformed the band with a new, all white line-up in 1974. They had hits

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 in the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 with " I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" and "Now Is The Time".

Former Vagabonds bass player Alan Wood (1973–77) now runs his own management agency and represents Paul Carrack

Paul Carrack

Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...

.

In 1979 a new band, Big Business, was formed by Alan Kirk and Andrew Platts, former Vagabonds and they continue to tour to this day. Big Business toured with Mick Jackson

Mick Jackson (singer)

Mick Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the co-writer of the song, "Blame It on the Boogie"...

 ("Blame It on the Boogie

Blame It on the Boogie

"Blame It on the Boogie" is a disco song, originally released in 1978 both by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson as well as by The Jacksons , and was later also covered by numerous other artists.-Background:...

"). Kirk owns Hilltop Studios in Dronfield

Dronfield

Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire in the North Midlands region of England. It comprises the three communities of Dronfield, Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It is sited in the valley of the small River Drone, and lies between the town of Chesterfield and the city of Sheffield. The...

 near Chesterfield

Chesterfield

Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

. Platts is managing editor of the entertainment paper, Mercury Newspaper in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

.

In 1999, drummer Russ Courtenay co-wrote the track "Whatever You Need

Whatever You Need

"Whatever You Need" is a song by American recording artist Tina Turner. It was written by Russ Courtenay and Harriet Roberts and released as the second single from Turner's 1999 Twenty Four Seven album in 2000....

", which appeared on Tina Turner

Tina Turner

Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...

'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...

, 24/7, and later on her All the Best

All the Best (Tina Turner album)

All the Best is a greatest hits album by Tina Turner, released in November 2004. In the U.S. an abridged single disc version titled All the Best: The Hits was released in October 2005.-Overview:...

and The Platinum Collection

Tina!: Her Greatest Hits

Tina! is a compilation album from American rock singer Tina Turner. The album was released September 30, 2008 by Capitol Records in North America and October 17, 2008 in Germany .-Overview:...

compilation album

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

s. He is currently working on a project entitled 'Rainbow Beach'.

In 2007, James contributed the track "The Other Side of the Street" for Ian Levine

Ian Levine

Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...

's Northern Soul 2007

Northern Soul 2007

Northern Soul 2007 is a compilation, released September 2007, consisting of 24 new tracks as a tribute to the 1960s–1970s Northern Soul era, produced by Ian Levine and Clive Scott...

album.

On tour

James regularly performs around the UK with former Foundations

The Foundations

The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" , written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations...

 frontman, Clem Curtis

Clem Curtis

Clem Curtis is a singer and former lead vocalist of sixties British soul group The Foundations.-Early years:...

. The pair, along with Flirtations vocalist Earnestine Pearce have toured with 'The Soul Explosion'. In April 2007, James performed at the 'Classic Gold Weekender

Classic Gold Digital Network

Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...

' along with Marmalade

Marmalade (band)

Marmalade were a successful Scottish pop rock group, from the east end of Glasgow, originally formed in 1961 as "The Gaylords", later "Dean Ford and The Gaylords". In 1966, they changed the group name to 'The Marmalade'. The most successful period for the band, in terms of UK chart success, was...

, Love Affair

Love Affair (band)

Love Affair were a London based pop, soul, R&B group formed in 1966. They had several UK Singles Chart Top 10 hits, including the number one success "Everlasting Love".-Personnel:The band primarily featured the following —...

 and Showaddywaddy

Showaddywaddy

Showaddywaddy are a 1970s pop group from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, and dressed as Teddy Boys.-History:...

.

Discography

• "Red Red Wine
  Red Red Wine
  "Red Red Wine" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. It has been covered by Tony Tribe, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and more famously by British reggae group UB40, whose version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts...
  
  " - 1968 - Pye
  Pye Records
  Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
  
   - #36 UK
  UK Singles Chart
  The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
  
  
• "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" - 1976 - Pye - #23 UK
• "Now Is The Time" - 1976 - Pye - #5 UK

External links

• bbc.co.uk - Jimmy James artist review on BBC Radio Lincolnshire
  BBC Radio Lincolnshire
  BBC Lincolnshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Lincolnshire — apart from the northern parts, which are covered by BBC Radio Humberside...
  
  site
• unitonentertainment.co.uk - Jimmy James and The Vagabonds artist information
• geocities.com - Vagabonds fan site
• vinyltap.co.uk - Jimmy James and The Vagabonds records
• russ-courtenay.com - Russ Courtenay's website which contains photos of Jimmy James and The Vagabonds