James Walbourne

Last updated
James Walbourne
The Rails at Rough Trade East (48561439387).jpg
Walbourne performing with The Rails in 2019.
Background information
Birth nameJames Walbourne
Born (1980-02-02) 2 February 1980 (age 44)
Muswell Hill, London, England
Genres Alternative rock, British folk rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, mandolin, accordion, harmonium, keyboards
Years active1999–present "
Labels
Member of
Formerly of
Website jameswalbourne.co.uk

James Walbourne (born 2 February 1980) is a British singer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the current lead guitarist in The Pretenders as well as one-half of The Rails.

Contents

Biography

When he was young he wanted to play in clubs around America. To fulfill his dream, he left school to go on a US tour with Peter Bruntnell and there he became a member of the bands Pernice Brothers and Son Volt. [1] He became a member of The Kinks’ front-man Ray Davies’s solo band and of The Pogues.[ citation needed ] In 2008, he was recruited to The Pretenders by Martin Chambers just before the Break Up the Concrete tour. [2]

In 2005 he formed a band, Royal Gun, with his brother Rob Walbourne but that disbanded after a short tour of England and the US. In 2010, he started working on his first solo album The Hill, and it was released in 2011 by Heavenly Records. [3] [4]

Family and music

In 2007, when Linda Thompson was working on her album Versatile Heart, the author Nick Hornby, introduced Walbourne to Thompson where he met Kami Thompson for the first time. In 2011, they accidentally met in Los Angeles at the 50th-anniversary show for McCabe's Guitar Shop and this time their relationship grew and the pair eventually married in 2012. [5] [6]

They founded The Rails and released their first album Fair Warning on Island Records. [7]

Discography

Solo albums

TitleAlbum details
The Hill· Released: 27 January 2011

· Label: Heavenly

Albums with The Rails

TitleAlbum details
Fair Warning· Released: 2014

· Label: Island Records & Mighty Village

Other People· Released: 2017

· Label: Psychonaut Sounds

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References

  1. McCormick, Neil (2014-05-09). "The Rails: a new folk rock romance". ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  2. "Chrissie Hynde: If It Gets Polite—Game Over". Premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  3. "James Walbourne | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  4. "Album: James Walbourne, The Hill (Heavenly)". The Independent . 2011-01-30. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  5. Lester, Paul (2014-01-10). "The Rails (New band of the day No 1,675)". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  6. Sheffield, Hazel (2014-04-24). "A ticket to ride with the Rails". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  7. Denselow, Robin (2014-05-01). "The Rails: Fair Warning review – Kami Thompson and James Walbourne's bold new folk duo". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-01-19.