Jim James is proof you don’t have to be a shredder to be a guitar god, as Rolling Stone Magazine once dubbed him.
As singer/songwriter/guitarist for the hit band My Morning Jacket, James has used his considerable talent to shape the group’s sound – while crafting a distinct guitar sound alongside axe-mate Carl Broemel.
James is undoubtedly a guitar player you should know.
(photo courtesy of Aaron Fish for mymorningjacket.com)
Also know by the stage name Yim Yames, James has taken the healthy step of late of taking time for work outside My Morning Jacket, the band he co-founded in Kentucky in 1998. After the release last year of Tribute To, James’ shout-out to the late George Harrison, he’s due to put out a solo album later this year.
So far he’s been defined by his work as the main architect of My Morning Jacket — and of the band’s commercial success and critical acclaim.
Jacket started to make noise in 2002, when it signed a major-record deal. After a shake-up in the lineup in 2004 that saw Broemel take over on lead guitar, the band solidified its line up and began to make more of a dent in the music industry.
By 2008, the band was making featured appearances at major music festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella, and TV appearances on David Letterman and SNL. Their studio release that year, Evil Urges, was nominated for an alternative rock Grammy.
It’s James who continues to drive the band, occasionally taking lead guitar duties to prove he has the chops. While bassist Tom Blankenship remains Jacket’s only other original member, the current line up has been together since 2004, and continues to make noise in the music industry.
Credit James and his guitar for driving that train.
NOTE: This is part of my ongoing series of reports on guitar players who fly under the mainstream radar. Keep checking The Listening Room for future installments of guitar players you should know – JF)
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