Jimmy James & The Vagabonds Rar
Over an hour of fabulous soul and R&B by this legendary artist. Composing and singing since the tender age of 16, Jimmy James’ breakthrough came in 1962 with his. Find Jimmy James & the Vagabonds biography and history on AllMusic - During the mid- to late '60s, Jimmy James &. 'Jimmy James' is the first song and third single from Beastie Boys' third album Check Your Head. The song has been described as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix by Beastie.
During the mid- to late '60s, towered among the most popular soul acts on the British club and college circuit. Though rivaled only by labelmate in the hearts and minds of the London cognoscenti, the group's sellout performances nevertheless failed to translate into strong record sales, and commercial success would remain elusive until the rise of disco a decade later. Born on September 13, 1940, the U.S. Native was raised in Jamaica, first tasting fame as a solo act with the Tip Top label single 'Bewildered and Blue,' which topped the Jamaican charts in 1959. After scoring a second number one with 'Come to Me Softly,' was approached by - second vocalist, guitarists and, bassist Coleson Chen, keyboardist, saxophonists and, and drummer - who were at the time the most popular live band in Jamaica behind. After installing as lead vocalist, enjoyed even greater popularity among locals and tourists alike, in 1964 issuing the Island label LP Presenting the Fabulous Vagabonds. However, the group yearned for international success and in 1965 relocated to London, where an opening gig for at the famed Marquee Club resulted in an invitation to headline the venue on a weekly basis.
Under the wing of original manager, emerged as one of the hottest live acts in the U.K., renowned for both ' gritty, powerful vocals and the colorful antics of his foil, the latter a born crowd-pleaser. After cutting 'Shoo-Be-Doo You're Mine,' a 1965 one-off for Columbia, signed to the Pye imprint's Piccadilly subsidiary, in early 1966 issuing their label debut, 'I Feel Alright,' an exuberant stomper in the mold of their electric live appearances.
For the follow-up, the group covered ' 'Hi-Diddly Dee Dum Dum,' cracking Disc magazine's Top 50 for all of one week before sales sputtered. Just why ' appreciative live audiences did not show their support at retail is a mystery - their records were of consistently high quality, but often it seemed Piccadilly had little idea what to do with the band, and more than once the stronger performance from a particular session was relegated to the resulting single's B-side. Their third Piccadilly single, 'This Heart of Mine,' also featured on ' first full-length effort,. After a fourth Piccadilly 7', 'Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud,' Pye shuttered the label and the group moved to the parent company in time for 1967's 'I Can't Get Back Home to My Baby.' That same year, Pye also issued, a concert LP devoting one half to and the other to fellow nightclub favorites.
With the release of the 1968 LP, finally scored a U.K. Chart hit with their cover of 's 'Red Red Wine,' at the time one of the singer/songwriter's more middling hits - ' cover spent two months on the British charts, peaking at number 36. The group also scored a U.S.
Hit when in 1968 its re-recorded version of ' early solo hit 'Come to Me Softly' - a B-side in Britain - appeared as an Atco label single and entered the Billboard Hot 100. After 1970's 'Better By Far,' Pye dropped and the original lineup splintered; both and pursued solo careers, with the latter scoring the reggae smash 'Mule Train' in 1971. In the meantime, teamed with producer Biddu to notch the minor hit, 'A Man Like Me,' before signing to Trojan for a series of little-heard singles that culminated in the 1971 cult classic 'Help Yourself.' He still spent the better part of the early to mid-'70s outside the studio, gigging relentlessly with an ever-changing lineup in tow. In 1976 re-signed with Pye, immediately scoring a pair of disco-inspired pop hits with 'Now Is the Time' and 'I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.' Subsequent efforts like the wonderfully titled 'If You Think This Funk Is Junk, You're Drunk' failed to chart, however, and his career again faltered - 1984's 'Love Fire' was hotly tipped as a comeback contender but went sadly overlooked, and three years later also recut 'I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me' to little avail.
He nevertheless continued touring the cabaret circuit into the next century.
Jimmy James started his musical career, composing and singing, at the early age of 16. His first successful single ‘Bewildered and Blue’ was followed by another self penned hit ‘Come to Me Softly’ which has become his signature song. In 1964 he was asked to join as the lead singer with one of Jamaica’s leading bands ‘The Vagabonds’ and together they left Jamaica for what was to be a six month tour of the UK. The outfit became so popular that they decided to extend the tour and thus ended up being residents of the UK.
Their popularity within the UK provided a platform for them to launch into the rest of Europe. From 1965 to c.1968 the band headlined at The Marquee in Wardour Street, London. From there they were invited to Hungary to perform a series of concerts, making them the first ever musical unit from the western hemisphere to have entertained behind the Iron Curtain. Many tours followed - Tunisia, Germany, Greece, France, Belgium, Holland and others. In 1966 The Vagabonds recorded their now legendary album, ‘The New Religion’, which really established the outfit as the most sought after working band in the UK. Jimmy’s recording of Neil Diamond's ‘Red, Red Wine’ in 1969, taken from the Vagabonds’ second album ‘Open up your Soul’, gave them their first commercial hit record.
Jimmy has shared the stage with world renowned acts such as The Beatles, The Who, Sonny and Cher, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Bobby Womack, Solomon Burke, Jimi Hendrix and many others. In 1970 he signed up to Biddu of the Subbidu Music Corporation and together they produced hits such as ‘A Man Like Me’, ‘Now Is The Time’ and the timeless ‘I’ll Go Where The Music Takes Me’.
In 1989/1990 he was voted best singer/entertainer by the Club Mirror Awards. He performed at the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool where his name is enshrined with others on the ‘Wall’. He has also performed at the Cannes Film Festival. He was the premier entertainer for the British troops during the UK’s involvement in the Falklands and the Bosnian wars. He has appeared on numerous Radio and TV shows through out the world.
Jimmy became the first artiste to sing live on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. He went on to record several programmes for the BBC at the famous Abbey Road Studio. Jimmy recently performed at the Barbican Concert Hall for the BBC on their ‘Soul Britannia’ series of programmes with, among others, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Eddie Floyd, Madeline Bell, Geno Washington and Eric Burdon (The Animals). Jimmy performed at The Royal Festival Hall in 2011 with Percy Sledge, Gwen Dickie (Rose Royce), The Flirtations and Hamish Stuart (Average White Band).
Jimmy currently tours with Clem Curtis (The Foundations) and Earnestine Pearce (The Flirtations) in a ‘Soul Explosion’ extravaganza and has recently completed the ‘This is Soul’ tour with Geno Washington and P.P. He continues to play to full houses on the cabaret circuit across England and has appeared with artistes such as The Drifters, The Four Tops and the late Edwin Starr.
More recently, he is in demand as a Headliner on luxury Cruise Liners across the world. In 2008 Jimmy performed at Jamaica’s Heineken Startime ‘British Invasion’ with Winston Francis, Owen Gray, the legendary John Holt and the now late, great Alton Ellis. In 2010 he was proud to be honoured by the Jamaican music industry for his continual dedication and pioneering spirit to the world of music.
It has been quoted that “Jimmy is one of those larger than life artistes whose every breath on stage is intertwined with his music. He is rhythm personified”. “Besides possessing a great voice, a large slice of his appeal is Jimmy’s on stage persona. With his boundless energy and continued ability to rouse an audience into a good time mood, he is one of the masters of the stage”. The last word comes from Jimmy himself. When asked how he keeps going with such enthusiasm Jimmy says “Music is my life. I still get that buzz when I perform.
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Jimmy James & The Blue Flames
Whether on stage or in the studio, my goal is to give 100%. When I don’t get that buzz anymore, that’s when I’ll say goodbye”. Till then he continues to be one of the hardest working men in show business.