He has stated that seeing a videotape of the Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan show “ultimately led [him] into being a performer and a guitar player and down the road a song writer.”[2] James spent his formative years playing in bands.

James released his debut single “Give It To Me Straight” in 2018, with the song premiering on Billboard and Sirius XM’s Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement.

[3] Soon after, he made his Los Angeles debut at the Roxy Theater supporting the Struts.

After its release, he joined Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement Tour featuring the Regrettes and Welles.

[5] The song was featured on Spotify’s New Noise playlist and garnered critical acclaim, with one critic calling it “a cool six-stringed groove fest with a message”[6] and another “a defiant uprising of the generationally damned and disgruntled, as well as the most authentic rock n’ roll you’ve heard in years.”[7] James has been compared to David Bowie, the Clash, T. Rex, and the Rolling Stones.