Jamie James might not be a household name, but in musicians’ circles he’s long been known as one bad cat. A singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica ace, and storyteller, James is perhaps best recognized for fronting the influential 1980s rockabilly trio The Kingbees, spending decades on stage with Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, and collaborating with the late Harry Dean Stanton, another troubadour of restless spirit.
Over time, James grew more comfortable at the sides of the stage than at its center, and as a result, his solo catalog has remained surprisingly lean. That’s why the arrival of his new album, Straight Up feels like such an event. It’s already drawing critical acclaim. Even better – it lands on vinyl for the first time on September 12, 2025.
Like much of the music born in the last few years, the record traces its roots back to the pandemic. Across its tracks, James’ tasteful Stratocaster work is matched in firepower by the stinging harmonica licks he lays down, while his grizzled, road-tested vocals complete a triple-threat attack of rare force.
He’s backed by longtime cohorts Tom Walsh (drums), Ken Stange (organ), and Tom Mancillas (bass) – all fellow Sharks alumni – who create a seasoned band chemistry that amplifies James’ voice and vision. The songs reflect where he stands in life, reckoning with what’s passed and what’s still to come. Sometimes the delivery is quiet and assured; other times it brims with swagger and grit.
Jamie James. Courtesy of Greg Allen.
The opener, “Let the Praying Begin,” sets the tone with Southern soul, tinged with a weary edge of despair that calls to mind the likes of Bobby “Blue” Bland, yet feels utterly present-day.
Released on Oglio Records, a label that for more than 30 years has championed established artists with fresh music, Straight Up sits alongside a roster that’s included Brian Wilson (the Beach Boys), Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Cyndi Lauper, Smash Mouth, Kool Keith, and many more.
We caught up with Jamie to talk about the new record, his treasured friendship with Harry Dean Stanton, and what lies ahead for a man who’s spent much of his career making others shine. And this time, we asked how it feels to see the spotlight – and the praise – finally swinging back his way.
Ray Chelstowski: How did you become connected with Oglio Records?
Jamie James: I met [Oglio Records founder] Carl Caprioglio in the 1990s. I’d been writing some songs and I’d recorded them. I reached out to him to see if he could help me make a CD with them that I could sell at shows. He wanted to hear what I’d recorded so I sent it to him and he really liked it. That’s when he had a very small operation. The CD was called Crossroads, but it never really did anything. So when I had recorded two new songs last year, I only knew two people in the recording business and one of them was him.
RC: Where did you record the album? It sounds like you cut it live. Were there any overdubs?
JJ: No, it was absolutely cut live. The bass player, the drummer, the keyboard player and I had been playing with Dennis Quaid for about 20 years and we just know each other really well musically. So we just went down to this studio in L.A. called Kitten Robot with this wonderful engineer, Paul Roessler. It was on a Monday afternoon and we put down about 10 tracks n three or four hours. Then I went back the next day and redid a couple of the harmonica parts. Then I added a little bit of lead guitar at the end of the songs.
RC: You really are a double threat. Your guitar chops are right on par with your harmonica playing. In fact, I think the harmonica could have been your go-to all along. How do you strike a balance between the two when you are recording?
JJ: I’ve never even thought of that before. I did it out of necessity. I thought that I’d write some songs and a lot of times the bass player or the band might not be available for when I want to go out and sing some of my own material. So, I knew that I had to figure out how to put together an entertaining hour of music all by myself. So I mixed rhythm guitar with solos off the rack and I did that for a few years. Then I figured that I could do that with the guys as well and I wrote all of these songs with that approach in mind.
RC: You made this record with a familiar cast of characters. Did you ever consider using someone outside your inner circle?
JJ: No; it didn’t occur to me at all. [But] I had heard the assistant engineer in the studio singing [along] with one of the tracks and I decided to have him harmonize with me on a background part. But in general, it didn’t occur to me to add anyone new, but I am very spontaneous and operate in the moment.
RC: The album opener “Let The Praying Begin” really sets the tone for the entire record. How do you go about picking that song when you are making a blues record?
JJ: Here’s what I did. I have a teenage daughter and I played it for her on my guitar when I first wrote it and got [a] thumbs up. And then when I was recording it my brother was over and I put it on in the background to see if it would get his attention and it did. Then I sent it to one other person that I trust. Lastly, when I sent all of the songs to Carl he got back to me and said that he loved all of the songs but that that was to be the first one.
When you are writing or developing a song you start with that first creative seed. And then you begin to see the way that it unfolds and it comes together in such a way where there are no cracks or seams. The whole thing is solid and you get the feeling that this is a solo track. I can sing this anywhere in the world at any time and feel good about it.
RC: The song “Keep on Rocking” is a standout in so many ways. It both feels contemporary and lyrically aligned with where your career is today.
JJ: That was the first song I wrote [for the album] and it was my favorite for a few reasons. I had had a heart attack in 2020 and had a quadruple bypass, and that brush with death led me to make a commitment to getting back into songwriting and to focus on myself. It was a second chance at life and I guess you start at the ground up. When I was with the King Bees I used to sign all of the albums with, “Keep on rockin! Jamie James.” So I just thought that was it. Let’s keep on rockin’!
RC: You are so closely aligned with Harry Dean Stanton and Dennis Quaid. How did you go from that to fronting your own band?
JJ: The King Bees was a trio and we came out in March of 1980. There was no MTV yet. So the only way to get the word out was through radio and live performances. Maybe television too on shows like American Bandstand. But you don’t get on shows like that until you have something that’s hot. So RSO Records put us out on the road for almost a year, and while we were out there, radio stations for the most part didn’t know what to do with us because it was purely a roots sound. After a year one of the songs started catching on in a bunch of markets. So one night we’d play and there would be three people in the audience. The next night it’d be packed. It became too much pressure for me. I couldn’t take it. There was no sax or keyboard on stage to help take the pressure off of you. When I think about some of these trios like the Police, I wasn’t born with that gene that guys like Sting have.
So when I met Harry Dean in the late ’80s at a girlfriend’s barbecue I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was a homeless guy. He was disheveled. There was a guitar around and I started to play and sing a little bit and Harry chimed in and started to sing along. He actually had a very nice voice, and then when we were alone for a couple of minutes I said, “Hey man. I didn’t know that the buses ran on July 4th in Los Angeles.” Because I thought the only way he could get to this party we were at in Brentwood would have been by bus. I told him if he needed a ride home later that I had him covered. And he started to laugh.
From there Harry took a liking to me and over the next few months we’d get together to sing and play. And I learned that this guy had a vast library of musical knowledge. Just like Dennis he was a musician before he became an actor. Harry being a child of the 1920s had a lot of influences and it was wonderful learning so much from him. It opened me up to all kinds of music. We developed a beautiful friendship. We lost him in 2017. And to be honest, on this record I did go back in and do an overdub. I have the old 1954 Martin that he played in the film Cool Hand Luke. And because of my love for Harry, I put a guitar part in the background of every one of these tracks with that guitar.
RC: You have been selective in releasing solo records. Is this the start of something new?
JJ: Oh, absolutely man. I’m working on new stuff right now. I’m excited to get back into the studio. I’m not quite ready yet but I’ll be ready soon. This has been what I call “inspiration plus!” And it’s been very heartwarming to see this record get attention. I’ve been doing podcasts, even doing one with a guy in India, and it seems like people really appreciate the raw energy of the record. I think there are a lot of people who actually miss that.
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