{{Short description|American musician (born 1978)}} {{for|other people with similar names|James James|Jimmy James (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | name = Jim James | image = Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day (17210694452) (Jim James).jpg | caption = James performing in 2015 | alt = James playing guitar | image_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> | background = solo_singer | birth_name = James Edward Olliges Jr. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|04|27}} | alias = Yim Yames | origin = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | instrument = Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, omnichord, drums, percussion, harmonica, banjo | genre = Psychedelic rock, indie rock, jam rock | occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist | years_active = 1992—present | label = {{hlist|ATO|MapleMusic}} | current_member_of = My Morning Jacket | past_member_of = {{hlist|Monsters of Folk|The New Basement Tapes}} | website = | module = {{Infobox person|embed=yes | signature = Jim James signature, Billboard Open Letter 2016.png }} }}
thumb|right|alt=James under a spotlight onstage|James performing in August 2011 '''James Edward Olliges Jr.''' (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as '''Jim James''' or '''Yim Yames''',<ref>{{cite web | url= http://pitchfork.com/news/48542-my-morning-jackets-jim-james-announces-debut-solo-album-shares-new-track/ | title=My Morning Jacket's Jim James Announces Debut Solo Album, Shares New Track | last= Minsker| first= Evan | publisher=Pitchfork | date=November 12, 2012 | access-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-jim-james-on-his-dark-period-going-solo-and-my-morning-jackets-next-album-20130129 |title= Q&A: My Morning Jacket's Jim James on the Band's Next Album and His Dark Period|last=Doyle|first=Patrick|date=January 29, 2013 |newspaper= Rolling Stone |access-date=December 10, 2016}}</ref> is an American vocalist, guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter of the rock band My Morning Jacket. He has also released several solo albums.
==Early life, family and education== James was raised in the Highlands–Douglass neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Raised Catholic,<ref name= billboard2013>{{cite magazine|last1= Newman| first1= Jason |title= Jim James Q&A: How a Near-Death Experience and a 1929 Graphic Novel Saved His Life| url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1538566/jim-james-qa-how-a-near-death-experience-and-a-1929-graphic-novel-saved-his?page=0%2C1 |magazine= Billboard | access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref> he attended St. Martha Grade School and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1996.<ref name= 21Q>{{cite web | url= https://archive.louisville.com/content/21-questions-my-morning-jackets-jim-james-music | website= Louisville Magazine| via= Louisville.com | title= 21 Questions with My Morning Jacket's Jim James | date= October 25, 2010 | archive-date= October 4, 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181004234044/https://www.louisville.com/content/21-questions-my-morning-jackets-jim-james-music | url-status= live | access-date= April 14, 2026}}</ref> James briefly attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
==Career== [[File:New Multitudes at Webster Hall.jpg|alt=New Multitudes onstage bathed in red stage lights|thumb|James playing bass guitar as Yim Yames with the ''New Multitudes'' band]] Prior to forming My Morning Jacket, James was the vocalist and guitarist for a number of Louisville bands, including Hotel Roy and Month of Sundays.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berkowitz |first=Peter |title=Time traveling man |url=https://www.leoweekly.com/news/time-traveling-man-15769176 |access-date=May 20, 2025 |website= LEO Weekly |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://removador.com/montdesundua|title=Mont de Sundua|website=Removador.com|access-date=May 28, 2025}}</ref>
As the vocalist, frontman, producer, and lead songwriter for My Morning Jacket, James has been instrumental in defining the sound of the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/mymorningjacket/z?q=Z%20My%20Morning |title=Z Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More |date= |publisher= | website= Metacritic.com |access-date=August 13, 2011}}</ref> He was given an "Esky" for best songwriter in ''Esquire'''s 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.
James typically plays rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, and occasional lead guitar on My Morning Jacket songs. He played the role of the band leader in the Bob Dylan biopic ''I'm Not There'', singing the song "Going to Acapulco", with Calexico as his backing band, which was featured on the soundtrack of the film. ''Rolling Stone'' listed James among their "20 New Guitar Gods" along with fellow My Morning Jacket guitarist Carl Broemel. In 2008, James, along with former My Morning Jacket guitarist and cousin Johnny Quaid, formed Removador Recordings and Solutions record label. The label, as described on its website, functions "on the simple principal of yielding the highest annual percentage of aural joy back into the hearts and minds of investors and shareholders with ease and convenience".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://removador.com/about-removador/ |title=About Removador |publisher=Removador Recordings and Solutions |access-date=August 13, 2011 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110715173617/http://removador.com/about-removador/ |archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>
thumb|James performing in 2007 In 2009, he contributed vocals on The Decemberists' album ''The Hazards of Love''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Paul|date=December 10, 2008|title=Decemberists Reveal The Hazards of Love Date, Tracklist|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/34245-decemberists-reveal-the-hazards-of-love-date-tracklist/|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=Pitchfork}}</ref> On April 4 that year, James performed at the Radio City Music Hall, New York City, in the "Change Begins Within" concert benefitting the David Lynch Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim James & Bettye Lavette added to David Lynch Foundation show|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/03/jim_james_betty.html |website= Brooklyn Vegan|date=March 5, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2014}}</ref> On July 7, James released ''Tribute To'', an EP covering George Harrison songs. A portion of the proceeds from the album were donated to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The EP was available on yimyames.com as both a digital download and a physical CD/LP.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.nme.com/news/my-morning-jacket/45589 |title=My Morning Jacket man to release George Harrison covers EP |work=NME |access-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> That same year, James and the rest of My Morning Jacket played themselves in "My Morning Straitjacket", an episode of the animated television series ''American Dad!'' James also participated along with Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis in the supergroup, Monsters of Folk, which released a self-titled album in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diehl |first=Matt |date=October 29, 2009 |title=Monsters of Folk's All-Star Experiment |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monsters-of-folks-all-star-experiment-66416/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |website=Rolling Stone |language= en-US}}</ref>
In 2012, Rounder Records released the Woody Guthrie tribute album ''New Multitudes'' which features songs covered by a variety of musicians including James (as Yim Yames) and Jay Farrar. James wrote an article on My Morning Jacket,<ref>{{cite web | url= https://archive.louisville.com/content/my-morning-jacket-my-morning-jacket-jim-james-music | title= My Morning Jacket by My Morning Jacket: Jim James | work= Louisville.com | access-date= July 11, 2012 | archive-date= August 19, 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120819210424/http://www.louisville.com/content/my-morning-jacket-my-morning-jacket-jim-james-music | url-status= live }}</ref> discussing how the band got its name and growing up in Louisville, for the July 2012 issue of ''Louisville'' magazine. Bandmates Patrick Hallahan and Tom Blankenship also wrote articles for the issue.
James released his debut solo full-length album, ''Regions of Light and Sound of God'', on ATO Records on February 5, 2013. In early 2014, James recorded for ''Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'' alongside Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith and Rhiannon Giddens. The album was produced by T-Bone Burnett and is a compilation of partial songs written by Bob Dylan that were never released.
On November 5, 2015, the David Lynch Foundation organized another benefit concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall named "Change Begins Within" to promote transcendental meditation for stress control. Jim James participated with Katy Perry, Sting, Jerry Seinfeld, Angelique Kidjo, and classical guitarist Sharon Isbin. And since each of the performers actively practices transcendental meditation, they also spoke to its power.<ref>{{cite news |last= Grow |first= Kory |title= Katy Perry, Sting Stun at David Lynch's Meditation Benefit Concert - Jerry Seinfeld, Angelique Kidjo, Jim James and others also perform and explain relaxation technique's importance to them at New York's Carnegie Hall |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/katy-perry-sting-stun-at-david-lynchs-meditation-benefit-concert-20151105 |newspaper= Rolling Stone |access-date= November 14, 2015 |archive-date= November 20, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161120012743/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/katy-perry-sting-stun-at-david-lynchs-meditation-benefit-concert-20151105 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
In 2016, James played himself and sings in two episodes of the Showtime series ''Roadies''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sho.com/video/50000/roadies-on-set-with-jim-james |title=Roadies: Roadies: On Set with Jim James | SHOWTIME |publisher=Sho.com |date=July 7, 2016 |access-date=June 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009062005/http://www.sho.com/video/50000/roadies-on-set-with-jim-james |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November 2016, he released his second solo album ''Eternally Even''.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22570-eternally-even/|title=Jim James: Eternally Even Album Review|last=Leas|first=Ryan|date=November 7, 2016| website= Pitchfork.com|access-date=December 10, 2016}}</ref>
James and Teddy Abrams co-wrote a suite of songs that were performed with the Louisville Orchestra on April 6 and 7, 2018 at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Havens |first1=Sara |title=Jim James will perform with the Louisville Orchestra in April |url= https://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/jim-james-will-perform-with-the-louisville-orchestra-in-april/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170930040555/https://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/jim-james-will-perform-with-the-louisville-orchestra-in-april/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 30, 2017 |access-date=July 2, 2019 |work=Insider Louisville}}</ref> On April 17, 2018, James announced the June 29 release of his third solo album of original material, ''Uniform Distortion''. Along with the announcement was the release of a single and music video for the album's opening track "Just A Fool". Also, included with the announcement was a letter James wrote to photographer Duane Michals requesting use of his photograph "The Illuminated Man" for the album's cover art. James discovered the photo in the 1971 publication ''The Last Whole Earth Catalog'', which he stated was a primary inspiration for the new album.<ref>{{Cite news| url= https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/04/17/603048490/jim-james-decries-blanket-distortion-in-society-with-new-song-album|title=Jim James Decries Media Distortion In Society With New Song, Album|work=NPR.org | publisher= National Public Radio |access-date=April 18, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 2018, James also co-produced the debut album by Cornelia Murr, ''Lake Tear of the Clouds''.<ref name="pappis">{{cite news |last1=Pappis |first1=Konstantinos |title=Artist Spotlight: Cornelia Murr |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2022/11/25/artist-spotlight-cornelia-murr/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |work=Our Culture |date=November 25, 2022}}</ref>
==Personal life== Although James was raised Catholic,<ref name= billboard2013 /> he has been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 2009.<ref name=billboard2013 />
He previously dated one of the singers in his solo touring band.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url= https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/05/jim-james-midlife-whatever-it-is |title=Jim James's Midlife Whatever-It-Is| first= Nick |last= Paumgarten |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher= |date=October 29, 2018| access-date= April 14, 2026}}</ref> James has tattoos.<ref name= 21Q />
In 2008, he fell off the stage during a concert in Iowa, which inspired the recording of his first solo album.<ref name=":0" /> He has cited Shannon Hoon, Roy Orbison, and Marvin Gaye as influences on his vocal style.<ref>{{cite episode| series= VH1 Storytellers| number= 88| title= My Morning Jacket| date= March 6, 2011| publisher= | others= }}</ref>
==Discography== ===Solo=== ====Studio albums==== * ''Regions of Light and Sound of God'' (2013) * ''Eternally Even'' (2016) * ''Uniform Distortion'' (2018) * ''Uniform Clarity'' (2018)
====EPs==== * ''Tribute To'' (2009) * ''Tribute To 2'' (2017)
===Collaborative albums=== * ''New Multitudes'' <small>(with Jay Farrar, Will Johnson and Anders Parker)</small> (2012) * ''The Order of Nature'' <small>(with Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra)</small> (2019)<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-order-of-nature-mw0003312269| title= The Order of Nature - Teddy Abrams, Jim James, Louisville Orchestra | website=AllMusic | date= | access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= https://consequence.net/2019/10/jim-james-teddy-abrams-order-of-nature-track-by-track-stream/ |title= Jim James and Teddy Abrams break down their orchestral album The Order of Nature track by track: Stream| website=Consequence.net| date= October 17, 2019 | access-date= }}</ref>
===My Morning Jacket=== {{see also|My Morning Jacket discography}}
===Monsters of Folk=== * ''Monsters of Folk'' (2009)
===The New Basement Tapes=== * ''Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'' (2014)
===Guest appearances=== * James is a guest vocalist on the M. Ward albums “Transistor Radio,” “Post War,” and “What A Wonderful Industry.” James plays saxophone on a cover version of David Bowie’s “I Can’t Give Everything Away” on the M. Ward album “Supernatural Thing.” * James sings backup vocals on the title track of Dr. Dog's 2010 album ''Shame, Shame''{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} * James appears on The Sachal Ensemble album ''Song of Lahore'' (Universal, 2016)<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-lahore-20151108-story.html |title= Pakistan's Sachal Jazz Ensemble rises above the risks in 'Song of Lahore'| work= Los Angeles Times| first= Gina| last= Piccalo| date= November 5, 2015| access-date= February 27, 2020}}</ref> * After the death of Bill Withers in 2020, he appeared as the musical guest on ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' where he performed Wither's classic song, "Lean on Me"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jambands.com/news/2020/04/07/watch-jim-james-perform-lean-on-me-in-honor-of-bill-withers/|title=Watch Jim James Perform "Lean On Me" In Honor of Bill Withers|date=April 7, 2020|website=Jambands.com}}</ref> * James appeared in the documentary, ''Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/netflixs-have-a-good-trip-reveals-celebrities-wildest-drug-trips-from-anthony-bourdain-to-carrie-fisher |title=Netflix Reveals Celebrities' Wildest Drug Trips, From Anthony Bourdain to Carrie Fisher |last=Schager |first=Nick |work=The Daily Beast |date=May 4, 2020 |access-date=May 14, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Equipment== * Gibson Custom ES-335 (Dot figured-top electric guitar with gloss finish honey burst)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uberproaudio.com/who-plays-what/382-my-morning-jacket-jim-james-guitar-gear-rig-and-equipment |title=My Morning Jacket – Jim James Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment |website=Uberproaudio.com|access-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> In 2021, he partnered with Gibson to release a signature guitar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://relix.com/news/detail/jim-james-partners-with-gibson-to-release-new-signature-guitar/|title=Jim James Partners with Gibson to Release New Signature Guitar|date=November 5, 2021|website=Relix.com|access-date=May 28, 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * {{cite web |url= http://www.yimyames.com/ |title= Official website |website= yimyames.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230304054748/http://www.yimyames.com/ |archive-date= March 4, 2023 |url-status= usurped |access-date= }} * {{Discogs artist|Jim James}} * {{cite web |url= http://coolalbumoftheday.com/?p=28555 |title= Jim James 'Regions of Light and Sound of God' |last= Brown |first= Catherine |work= Cool Album of the Day |date= March 4, 2013| publisher= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160313113741/http://coolalbumoftheday.com/?p=28555 |archive-date= March 13, 2016 |url-status= dead |access-date= April 14, 2026}}
{{My Morning Jacket}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Jim}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:American rock songwriters Category:American rock guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Category:My Morning Jacket members Category:St. Xavier High School (Louisville) alumni Category:Singer-songwriters from Kentucky Category:Rock musicians from Kentucky Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:Guitarists from Kentucky Category:Monsters of Folk members Category:American male bass guitarists Category:21st-century American bass guitarists Category:The New Basement Tapes members Category:ATO Records artists