Nicky James

Nicky James (2 April 1943 – 8 October 2007),[1] born Michael Clifford Nicholls, was a British musician and songwriter.

Nicky James
Born(1943-04-02)2 April 1943
Tipton, Staffordshire, England
Died8 October 2007(2007-10-08) (aged 64)
GenresBlues
Rock
Psychedelic
Mod
Country music
Years active1960s–2000s
LabelsColumbia Records
Philips Records
Threshold Records

Biography

James was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, England. He attended Park Lane School, and at age sixteen moved to Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. After moving to Birmingham he first performed with various musical acts involved in the early "Brumbeat" scene.[1]

James led the early 1960s band the Lawmen before joining Denny Laine and the Diplomats in early 1963;[2] the band was soon renamed Nicky James with Denny Laine and the Diplomats.[3] After attracting the attention of Pye Records producer Tony Hatch, Nicky left the Diplomats in the autumn of 1963 to record a solo single, "My Colour is Blue."[4] He continued to play in a number of bands, including the mod band The Jamesons alongside John Walker (aka John Maus) of the Walker Brothers.[5] Soon, James re-united with former Diplomats in a new group, The Moody Blues 5. Two months after James's departure, the band shortened their name to The Moody Blues, signed to Decca Records, and had their first UK No. 1 hit at the end of 1964 with "Go Now".

Signing to Columbia Records under the name the Nicky James Movement, James's new project debuted in 1965 with a single version of "Stagger Lee".[2] Among the rotating membership of The Nicky James Movement were John Bonham, later the drummer for Led Zeppelin, as well as Bev Bevan of ELO, Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues, and Roy Wood of The Move.[6]

James then moved to Philips Records for 1967's "So Glad We Made It". Four singles followed: "Would You Believe", "Nobody But Me", "Time" and "Reaching For The Sun".[2] James made his full-length debut with 1971's Nicky James.[7] While doubling as a talent scout for Dick James Music publishers in 1966–67, Nicky James signed the newly formed team of Bernie Taupin and Elton John as staff-writers.[8]

In 1972, James signed to the Moody Blues's Threshold Records, and released two more albums: Every Home Should Have One (1973) and Thunderthroat (1976),[2] as well as four further singles, including "Black Dream" in 1972 and "Maggie" in 1976.[5][7] On 20 August 1973, the Nicky James Band recorded for John Peel's radio show on BBC Radio 1.[9]

James appeared on solo albums by Moody Blues members Graeme Edge and Ray Thomas, including From Mighty Oaks (1975) and Hopes Wishes and Dreams (1976).[10][7] He also co-wrote songs with Allan Clarke of The Hollies and Graham Nash of CSNY.[11]

John Bonham of Led Zeppelin described Nicky James as "an incredible singer . . . he could sing any style . . . [and] he had a big following."[12] Bev Bevan of ELO recalled his first encounter with James: "a tall, skinny, good-looking guy with a mop of Brylcreemed black hair, swept back Teddy Boy style . . . he launched into Elvis Presley's One Night With You. He was sensational."[4] NME described James as displaying a "perfected vocal technique that melded the blues with prevalent beat pop tendencies."

James continued to write and perform well into the 21st century; after relocating to Aldbourne in Wiltshire, he founded Stable Studios and continued his prolific recorded output.

He appeared in the 2006 documentary Classic Artists: The Moody Blues, and was working on a new record when he died from complications following a brain tumour,[13] on 8 October 2007. He left a wife, Martine, and children, Sami and Louis.[1]

Discography

Singles
  • "My Colour is Blue" / "Take Me Back" (September 1963, Pye 15560)
  • "Stagger Lee" / "I'm Hurtin' Inside" (November 1965, Columbia DB 7747)
  • "I Need To Be Needed" / "So Glad We Made It" (April 1967, Philips BF 1566)
  • "Would You Believe" / "Silver Butterfly" (January 1968, Philips BF 1635)
  • "Looking Through Windows" / "Nobody But Me" (August 1968, Philips BF 1694)
  • "Time" / "Little Bit of Paper" (1969, Philips BF 1755)
  • "Reaching for the Sun" / "No Life at All" (1969, Philips BF 1804)
  • "Black Dream" / "She Came to Me" (1972, Threshold 67014)
  • "My Style" / "I Guess I've Always Loved You" (1972, Threshold 67016)
  • "Why" / "Foreign Shore" (1972, Threshold THS12)
  • "Rock & Roll Jamboree" / "Doctor, Doctor" (1973, Threshold 67017)
  • "Maggie" / "Bottle of Cheap Red Wine" (1976, Threshold THS25)

Solo albums
  • Nicky James – 1971 (Philips)
  • Every Home Should Have One – (1973, Threshold THS10)
  • Thunderthroat – (1976, Threshold THS19)
  • Black Country Boy (unreleased, in-progress at time of death)

Collaborations
  • John Walker – "Annabella" / "You Don't Understand Me" (1967, Philips BF 1593) (co-written with Graham Nash and Kirk Duncan)
  • Ray Thomas – From Mighty Oaks (Threshold, 1975)
  • Ray Thomas – Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams (Threshold, 1976)

Peel sessions
  • With The Nicky James Band – "Rock n' Roll Jamboree", "I Guess I've Always Loved You", "A Bottle of Cheap Red Wine", "My Style" (20 August 1973, transmitted 30 August 1973)

References
  1. "Tributes to Moody star Nicky: Express & Star". 26 October 2007. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 250. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
  3. "Denny Laine & The Diplomats". Brumbeat.net. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  4. "Nicky James, his wedding tackle and Tony Hatch – Sunday Mercury – Bev Bevan". Blogs.sundaymercury.net. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. Bruce Eder. "Nicky James | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. Jeff Nicholls; Chris Welch; Geoff Nicholls (2001). John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums. Amazon.com. p. 18. ISBN 9780879306588. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  7. "nicky-james - news, pictures, reviews, tickets, biography, videos, best songs, discography, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates". NME. 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. "Nicky James 1943–2007". Brumbeat.net. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  9. "Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – 20/08/1973 Nicky James Band". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  10. "THE MOODY BLUES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  11. "Build a Free Website with Web Hosting | Tripod". Utenti.lycos.it. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  12. John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums, p. 18
  13. Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2007 July To December". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
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