Jamie James is a songwriter and musician who has been making music his whole life, and this Spring, he released his debut solo album, Straight Up, recorded with some longtime bandmates. James has always been into the blues and blues rock, and he's known for his work with Dennis Quaid & The Sharks, longtime collaborations with the late Harry Dean Stanton, and as the frontman of the '80s rockabilly trio The Kingbees.

Rejoined with friends Tom Walsh (drums), Ken Stange (organ), and Tom Mancillas (bass), James took a group of songs that he wrote during the pandemic while recovering from open heart surgery to Kitten Robot Studio in Los Angeles. They recorded the ten songs on Straight Up live in the studio in one day only, capturing their years of experience playing together for the album. As an artist now in his 70s, James has a lifetime of perspective to bring not only to his songwriting, but to how he makes and

records music, and the big lessons seem to be: Stay creative, stick to what you love, and make music with the people who bring you energy to do more. I spoke to Jamie James about his approach to Straight Up and his love for the blues.

Pleased check out his latest release on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6HyO3Bh4rQJUI9bewsdbtr?si=rR_GScFNS06I_BT5BwSL8w

About Music Matters with Darrell Craig Harris

The Music Matters Podcast is hosted by Darrell Craig Harris, a globally published music journalist, professional musician, and Getty Images photographer. Music Matters is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, and more. Each week, Darrell interviews renowned artists, musicians, music journalists, and insiders from the music industry.

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