... also attended acting classes at the San Francisco American Conservatory Theater (ACT) and Shelton Studios to further develop his stage persona.
In 1989, James moved to Sweden where he formed and fronted a White Snake cover band called Ready an’ Willing. The band toured Sweden up until James’ move back to the Bay Area in 1992. Revival shows are always on the schedule whenever James visits his friends in Tyresö, 30 minutes outside of Stockholm.
During the 90’s, James sang with numerous San Francisco bands including R&B funk rock showcase Pride and Joy, fronted The Who tribute band called Who Too and was a regular fixture of the Bay Area music scene. In 1996, James formed and fronted the original The Quake band that performed primarily in the Bay Area and played venues such as Bimbo’s, Palladium and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, New George’s and 4th Street Tavern in Marin County’s San Rafael, and opened up for such renowned artists as Clarence Clemons, Gregg Allman, Pablo Cruz, Roger and Zapp.
In 2007, James relocated to Kaua’i and a year later started The Quake here. Some of the band’s achievements so far are opening for Pablo Cruz at the Lihu’e Marriott in 2009, now annual participation at the Taste of Hawaii, PMRF July Celebrations, Kaua’i Hospice 4th of July, the Kaua’i County Fair and a variety of private and corporate performances. The Quake also frequently plays at local clubs (like us on Facebook to get updates), weddings and other events and we pride ourselves on never turning down a charity gig to support our local community.
When he is not on stage, James runs his 2 garage door businesses (Norman’s Overhead Doors in San Francisco and on Kaua’i), rides dirt bikes and Harley, golfs, cooks for friends, hangs out with his wife of 12+ years and their 5 (yes, five!) rescue dogs, and he is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Kapa’a, a volunteer organization supporting local and global communities, as well as an honorary member of Viet Nam Vets Motorcycle Club which investigates and recovers POW’s and MIA’s around the world.
James’s vocal influences include Paul Rogers, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Freddie Mercury, Prince and Rick James, and many fans and music professionals have described his voice as such.