Kurt James
Encyclopedia
Kurt James is an American
Heavy metal
–rock
guitarist
and composer
.
Mr. James has recorded many different styles of music over the years, including (most recently) Rockabilly
, in the form of a collaboration with the Christian rockabilly band The Pioneers
.
, Europe
and North America
. At the age of 15 he was sharing lead guitar duties with Ted Hall, from the L.A. fusion band "The Fents". At 16 he was playing in a band with the guitarist Steve Medrano, all the while continuing to perform live in his own fusion trio. James also played with multitude of local Los Angeles
bands such as Stryper
, Black Sheep
, Black Bart
, etc. He has also appeared in the album Dr. Mastermind
with Deen Castronovo
on drums and Matt McCourt on bass and vocals.
James came into prominence by joining the band Steeler
. Prior to joining Steeler he developed his technique and experience by playing with guitarist Steve Medrano from the band West Winds
. Playing in Steeler was a turning point, James joined the band on a Sunday and the following Thursday he was headlining the Country Club in Reseda
. That's where he met Mike Varney
.
James is also a bass player. His bass playing was featured on the album Dangerous Madness by Wayne Kramer
from MC5
and Chad Smith
from Red Hot Chili Peppers
. James performed a Jaco Tribute with the band Mr. Gone to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of the bassist Jaco Pastorius
. He recorded in Majorca, Spain
, an album named Contra.2com with Rafael Aguilo on drums and Toni Terrades on keyboards.
After Steeler, James got a call from the Christian rock
band Stryper
, he played the material that eventually made it on the record Soldiers Under Command. Around this time he became friends with Paul Gilbert
. Gilbert had been playing in the band Black Sheep and told James that they were looking for a guitarist, both guitarists are featured on the record Trouble in the Streets. He also played with Rudy Sarzo
and Tommy Aldridge
in the first version of Driver, featuring vocalist Jeff Scott Soto
. After his stint in Driver, James formed a band with Neil Turbin
called KJB or the Kurt James Band, the band was briefly call Hard Knocks. That band lasted 13 months, after the Japanese record label influenced James to audition other vocalists, no replacement was found. The album was to be produced by Allan Holdsworth, but ultimately, was never finished nor released.
After his stint in the Kurt James Band, James got a call from Mike Varney, who asked him to play on a record with Deen Castronovo
on drums and the original singer of The Wild Dogs, Matt McCourt. That record was called Dr. Mastermind. James went to Japan after that, and played concerts, secured endorsement deals with Greco and Eranan Guitars and was featured in several magazine articles. He also participated in Japans "Guitar Heros" Tour, were he was featured along with five other guitarists, including Vinnie Moore
, Michaelangelo, Mitch Perry, Joey Tafolla
and David T. Chastain
. After that James was in a band Only the Brave featuring Shawn Michael Perry on vocals and Randy Bush
on bass. Another band James fronted was called K-9 Devotion, a trio that recorded and gigged around the Pasadena area. Always interested in fretless bass, he formed a Jaco Pastorius tribute band called Mr. Gone.
In 2007 Kurt joined forces with original Anthrax
vocalist Neil Turbin, playing lead guitar in his band DeathRiders
. Jame also fronted the band "Los Lucky Boys", from Spain
, in 2008. He has also been playing in the Christian rockabilly
band The Pioneers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
–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...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Mr. James has recorded many different styles of music over the years, including (most recently) Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, in the form of a collaboration with the Christian rockabilly band The Pioneers
The Pioneers
The Pioneers: The Sources of the Susquehanna; a Descriptive Tale is a historical novel, the first published of the Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper...
.
Musical career
James has performed in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. At the age of 15 he was sharing lead guitar duties with Ted Hall, from the L.A. fusion band "The Fents". At 16 he was playing in a band with the guitarist Steve Medrano, all the while continuing to perform live in his own fusion trio. James also played with multitude of local Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
bands such as Stryper
Stryper
Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
, Black Sheep
Black sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness...
, Black Bart
Black Bart
Black Bart may refer to:*Black Bart , notorious American Old West outlaw* Bartholomew Roberts , Welsh pirate in the late 17th and early 18th centuries* Black Bart , a musical theater group...
, etc. He has also appeared in the album Dr. Mastermind
Dr. Mastermind
Dr. Mastermind is a band featuring current Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, Wild Dogs bandmate singer Matt McCourt , and guitarist Kurt James. this was Never a Deen "project or deal" part of my signing with Shrapnel had to do with Deen joining Tony Macalpine... Mister varney had received the...
with Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo is an Italian American drummer who has played in various bands, including Kandles at Nine, Cacophony, Bad English, Journey, The Enemy, Wild Dogs, Dr. Mastermind, Hardline, Planet Us, Soul Sirkus, Social Distortion, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's G/Z/R, as well as in...
on drums and Matt McCourt on bass and vocals.
James came into prominence by joining the band Steeler
Steeler
Steeler was an early 1980s American heavy metal band from Nashville. Band members included: Ron Keel on vocals and guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums and Tim Morrison on bass. In 1982, they released the single Cold Day in Hell....
. Prior to joining Steeler he developed his technique and experience by playing with guitarist Steve Medrano from the band West Winds
West Winds
West Winds is an historic site at 300 Wakefield Street in West Warwick, Rhode Island.The site was built in 1740 and added to the National Historic Register in 1993....
. Playing in Steeler was a turning point, James joined the band on a Sunday and the following Thursday he was headlining the Country Club in Reseda
Reseda
Reseda may refer to:*Reseda , a plant genus also known as mignonette*1081 Reseda, a minor planet that orbits the Sun; named for the reseda plant genus*Reseda, Los Angeles, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California...
. That's where he met Mike Varney
Mike Varney
Mike Varney is an American musician, record producer, music publisher and impresario. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label...
.
James is also a bass player. His bass playing was featured on the album Dangerous Madness by Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer (guitarist)
Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
from MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
and Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
. James performed a Jaco Tribute with the band Mr. Gone to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of the bassist Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
. He recorded in Majorca, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, an album named Contra.2com with Rafael Aguilo on drums and Toni Terrades on keyboards.
After Steeler, James got a call from the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band Stryper
Stryper
Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
, he played the material that eventually made it on the record Soldiers Under Command. Around this time he became friends with Paul Gilbert
Paul Gilbert
Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American guitarist. He is well known for his technical guitar work with Racer X and Mr...
. Gilbert had been playing in the band Black Sheep and told James that they were looking for a guitarist, both guitarists are featured on the record Trouble in the Streets. He also played with Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.-Early life:...
and Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal and hard rock drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream,...
in the first version of Driver, featuring vocalist Jeff Scott Soto
Jeff Scott Soto
Jeff Scott Soto is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the lead singer for the group Talisman from 1990 till the end of Talisman in 2007, the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and for stepping up to the job of lead vocalist for Journey on...
. After his stint in Driver, James formed a band with Neil Turbin
Neil Turbin
Neil Turbin is an American thrash metal vocalist known for being the original lead singer for American band Anthrax and current lead vocalist and songwriter of the heavy metal band DeathRiders. -DeathRiders:...
called KJB or the Kurt James Band, the band was briefly call Hard Knocks. That band lasted 13 months, after the Japanese record label influenced James to audition other vocalists, no replacement was found. The album was to be produced by Allan Holdsworth, but ultimately, was never finished nor released.
After his stint in the Kurt James Band, James got a call from Mike Varney, who asked him to play on a record with Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo is an Italian American drummer who has played in various bands, including Kandles at Nine, Cacophony, Bad English, Journey, The Enemy, Wild Dogs, Dr. Mastermind, Hardline, Planet Us, Soul Sirkus, Social Distortion, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's G/Z/R, as well as in...
on drums and the original singer of The Wild Dogs, Matt McCourt. That record was called Dr. Mastermind. James went to Japan after that, and played concerts, secured endorsement deals with Greco and Eranan Guitars and was featured in several magazine articles. He also participated in Japans "Guitar Heros" Tour, were he was featured along with five other guitarists, including Vinnie Moore
Vinnie Moore
Vinnie Moore is a guitarist and a member of the English hard rock band UFO. Along with Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, and others, Moore is known as one of the most influential guitarists to emerge out of the shredder boom in the mid 1980s.-Biography:Moore was born in New Castle, Delaware...
, Michaelangelo, Mitch Perry, Joey Tafolla
Joey Tafolla
Joey Tafolla is an American guitarist. Initially a member of the heavy metal band Jag Panzer from 1984 to 1985, he joined Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label soon after; releasing his debut album Out of the Sun in 1987, alongside the releases of other shred players such as Marty Friedman, Jason...
and David T. Chastain
David T. Chastain
David T. Chastain is an American guitarist and owner of and .Chastain is a metal guitarist who emerged in the mid-'80s along with a wave of other neo-classical guitarists. He has released about 50 recordings under multiple names, including David T...
. After that James was in a band Only the Brave featuring Shawn Michael Perry on vocals and Randy Bush
Randy Bush
Robert Randall Bush , is a former professional baseball player and currently a front office member of the Chicago Cubs. With the hiring of Theo Epstein, Bush will continue as an assistant General Manager, and will be involved in the hiring process of the field and scouting staff.Bush played for...
on bass. Another band James fronted was called K-9 Devotion, a trio that recorded and gigged around the Pasadena area. Always interested in fretless bass, he formed a Jaco Pastorius tribute band called Mr. Gone.
In 2007 Kurt joined forces with original Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
vocalist Neil Turbin, playing lead guitar in his band DeathRiders
DeathRiders
DeathRiders is an American Heavy Metal band based in Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2001 to support lead vocalist Neil Turbin's solo album 'Threatcon Delta' and is named after the song 'Deathrider' off the album 'Fistful of Metal' which Turbin wrote in his time as the original...
. Jame also fronted the band "Los Lucky Boys", from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in 2008. He has also been playing in the Christian rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
band The Pioneers.
Albums
| Title | Release | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Steeler Steeler Steeler was an early 1980s American heavy metal band from Nashville. Band members included: Ron Keel on vocals and guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums and Tim Morrison on bass. In 1982, they released the single Cold Day in Hell.... Metal Generation |
2007 2007 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame... |
Ft. on three tracks |
| Beyond this life | 2005 2005 in music -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:... |
Recorded in Spain |
| Fire from Within | 2005 | Recorded in Spain |
| Mystic Planet | 2006 2006 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band.... |
Third in the recorded in Spain trilogy |
Other album appearances
| Title | Release | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Turbin Neil Turbin Neil Turbin is an American thrash metal vocalist known for being the original lead singer for American band Anthrax and current lead vocalist and songwriter of the heavy metal band DeathRiders. -DeathRiders:... Threatcon Delta Threatcon Delta -Personnel:*Neil Turbin – Vocals*Jeff Scott Soto*Ronnie Borchert*Vern Anderson*Sean McNabb*Paul Monroe*Claude Schnell*Paul Shortino*Mitch Perry*Andy Walo*Henry Moreno*Sandy Vaquez... |
2006 | Ft. ex-Anthrax Anthrax (band) Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene... vocalist Neil Turbin 2003 |
| Dangerous Madness | 1997 | Wayne Kramer Wayne Kramer (guitarist) Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer.... with Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock... drummer Chad Smith Chad Smith Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and... |