James Harman is a senior member of the first wave of white American musicians who entered the blues during the 1960s, starting when he was only sixteen. With a pasted-on mustache, he was slipped into black night clubs in Panama City, Florida, promoted as "That boy who sings like a man. Within a year, he started his own band. In the years to follow, he restarted several times by moving to Chicago, New York, Miami, New Orleans and, finally, California. He ran an ongoing business, recording and touring all the way through 2000, at which time he gave up carrying his own band everywhere and started taking only fly-in festival dates and being backed by different groups of players everywhere. Although he is today generally associated with the west coast sound, he has remained loyal to his Alabama roots. This can be heard in many of the lyrical tales he spins in his songs.
In this forty year career he recorded thirty records, with his first released in 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia. He had nine singles (45 RPM) out in the 1960s before releasing an LP. "Some were CDs after that technology became the standard. Some have been re-released as CDs, but most were records," Harman says He has recorded under a host of assumed names. He has worked as King James and the Royals, Disciples of Blues, Soul's Disciples, Icepick James and The Rattlesnakes, Snake Doctor, HUBB and, finally, Icehouse Blues Band when he came to California. He eventually accepted some advice given to him by B. B. King in 1972, and " became myself the blues artist, not some made-up name.
Seventeen of his songs have appeared in movie soundtracks. Most recently he played harp on the soundtrack for the movie The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), with ZZ Top's guitarist, Billy Gibbons.
As for awards, he has either been nominated for, or has won, as he says "Well let's just say far too many [awards] to remember and certainly too many to list here."
After forty years, he is still a vital and contributing member of the blues community. Today he recognized as one of the very finest blues harpists in the world, one of today's most brilliant lyricists, a prolific songwriter, a moralist and a philosopher. And if you have ever seen him perform live you know he is still rocks the house with the best musicians half his age.
Tracklist:
01. Chicken Shack Boogie 04:34
02. Looped 05:24
03. Before You Accuse Me 06:37
04. Convenience Store Party Bag 06:11
05. Jimmys Pink Alligator 07:16
06. Crap Shoot 07:41 10.56 Mb
07. Double Hogback Growler 06:33
08. Whatcha Gonna Do About Me 07:08
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