James Yorkston (born James Patrick Yorkston Wright; 21 December 1971) is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife.[2] He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist, he has released music with his backing band the Athletes, as part of the Fence Collective, and as a member of the trio Yorkston/Thorne/Khan. He has also written fiction and non-fiction books.
Yorkston started out as bassist for punk band Miraclehead, which morphed into the band Huckleberry,[2] who recorded a number of independently released records. Yorkston's solo career began when John Peel played a demo of his "Moving Up Country, Roaring the Gospel", proclaiming it had the best song title of the year.[5][6] This led to Bad Jazz Records releasing that track as Yorkston's debut 7" under the name "J. Wright Presents".[7]
Signing to Domino Records and Moving Up Country
By this time Yorkston had started to play solo gigs in Edinburgh, his debut supporting Bert Jansch in the Café Royal.[6] Seeking more shows, Yorkston sent a copy of the single to John Martyn, asking him for a support slot on his forthcoming Edinburgh date, and Martyn responded by offering Yorkston all 31 dates on his tour.[8] Subsequently, he signed to Domino Records,[6] recording music with a number of friends and associates credited as The Athletes. His debut album Moving Up Country, co-produced by Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins, became Rough Trade Record Shops Album of the Year for 2002.[9] In 2003 Yorkston played at the inaugural Green Man Festival.[10]
Just Beyond the River
For Yorkston's second album, he asked Kieran Hebden of Four Tet on board as producer, and they made Just Beyond the River.[11] Released on vinyl, CD and as a limited edition 2-CD set with the otherwise unavailable EP Fearsome Fairytale Lovers,[12] the album was well received by the music press. Pete Paphides of The Times wrote, "Yorkston has reached a state of grace that writers can spend forever trying to attain: songs that sound not so much written as carefully retrieved from your own subconscious, played with an intuition bordering on telepathy. What more could you ask for?"[13] while Pitchfork said, "Yorkston's record creates a bucolic, timeless world where magic remains a recent memory."[11] Yorkston's fan base continued to grow and he was offered tours with Beth Orton, David Gray, Tindersticks, Turin Brakes, Lambchop and Kathryn Williams, as well as a slot on the Accelerator tour of Sweden.[14]
The Year of the Leopard, Roaring the Gospel and further collaborations
The follow-up, The Year of the Leopard (2006), was produced by Rustin Man, who had recently worked with Beth Gibbons (lead singer with the band Portishead) on their Out of Season record.[15] The album was again well received by the press. Drowned in Sound said, "Yorkston's voice is red-wine warm and perfectly at ease with itself, filling each track to the brim with understated honesty",[16] while Alexis Petridis, writing in The Guardian, said, "this is music that slowly charms rather than immediately stuns you, taking time to work its way under your skin. Once there, however, its lovely, understated melodies, autumnal arrangements and warm, wry lyrics...are virtually impossible to shift."[15] Later the same year, Yorkston was given the chance to play with Bert Jansch once more, this time in Paris.[17] Yorkston also invited Martin Carthy to play and share a stage with him at London's Union Chapel on 24 May 2007.[18]
Also in 2007, Domino Records released Roaring the Gospel, a collection of EP tracks, overseas releases and new songs, which led the NME to observe that "Yorkston has talent as deep as a mine shaft",[19] while the BBC website said, "Yorkston and his Athletes bathe their songs with warmth, allowing them to nestle snugly in a lush bed of tenderly plucked acoustic guitars, sighing woodwind and gently wheezing accordion."[20]
In October 2007, Yorkston was invited to work as Musical Director with Oliver Knight and the Waterson–Carthy clan for the BBC Electric Proms tribute to Lal Waterson.[14] This was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 by the Mike Harding Show as well as being filmed.[21] Alongside Waterson–Carthy, the acts involved included Alasdair Roberts, Kathryn Williams and Lisa Knapp. Yorkston's involvement with the Fence Collective continued: he has toured extensively with King Creosote and regularly contributed to the Fence Collective's Homegame mini-festivals featuring guest performances by artists such as The Concretes and Hot Chip.[22] Yorkston also plays in the Fence Collective bands The 3 Craws,[23]Pictish Trail and U.N.P.O.C.
When the Haar Rolls In and Folk Songs
Yorkston's fifth album, When the Haar Rolls In, was released through Domino Records on 1 September 2008.[5] Guests included Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson, Marry Waterson and Oliver Knight.[24] A special edition was released featuring an album of remixes and an album of James Yorkston covers by artists such as King Creosote, U.N.P.O.C. and Cathal Coughlan.[24] Among the positive reviews, the website PopMatters called the album, "one of the most consistently compelling and beautiful records to be released in quite a while."[25]
In 2011, he collaborated with The Fruit Tree Foundation, appearing on its debut album, First Edition.
I Was a Cat from a Book
In August 2012, Domino Records released Yorkston's seventh album, I Was a Cat from a Book, which was co-produced by the Welsh singer David Wrench and features a guest appearance by Kathryn Williams. Among the generally positive reviews, The Line of Best Fit said, "Yorkston exposes and plays with his emotional connection to life around him, showing once again that he is able to put pen to paper in a way that his contemporaries can only dream of",[29] while The Arts Desk praised "Yorkston's well-crafted songs, swathed in atmospheric strings, and tinged with melancholy and mystery".[30] The album debuted on the Official Record Store Chart at number 6.[31]
The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society and Tae Sup wi' a Fifer
On 3 November 2012, Doogie Paul, double-bassist of The Athletes, died of cancer aged 40.[32] Yorkston wrote the song "Broken Wave (A Blues for Doogie)" in tribute to his friend,[33] and this track would go on to feature on his next album, The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society. Released in August 2014, it was produced by Alexis Taylor of synth-pop band Hot Chip, and featured special guests KT Tunstall and The Pictish Trail, amongst others.[34] Once again, the album received very good reviews, with the NME calling Yorkston, "one of the country's great songwriters", commenting: "His honesty, wry humour and rippling folk guitar are on peak form on his collaboration-focused eighth album."[35]
In 2016, Yorkston released the album Everything Sacred as part of a trio, with Jon Thorne (a double bass player best known for his work with electro outfit Lamb) and Suhail Yusuf Khan, an eighth generation Sarangi player from New Delhi, India, under the name Yorkston/Thorne/Khan.[38] The unusual blend of musical influences prompted enthusiastic reviews, with Folk Radio UK observing, "There is a constant state of flux, a constant drip of influences from one to another that augments creative possibilities rather than diluting them. Yorkston, Thorne and Khan have taken advantage of these possibilities to create an album that bristles with inventiveness and skill, an album that is more than the sum of its already impressive parts."[39]
The trio went on to release two further critically acclaimed albums, Neuk Wight Delhi All-Stars (2017)[40] and Navarasa: Nine Emotions (2020).[41]
The Route to the Harmonium
His ninth album, The Route to the Harmonium, recorded in the small Scottish fishing village of Cellardyke and co-produced by David Wrench, was released on 22 February 2019, via Domino to mostly positive reviews. Drowned In Sound commented that, "His music feels part of the scenery rather than derived from it. The softly picked and swept guitars spread their roots deep into his musical heritage, while the songs he sings tell tales that feel passed through the generations, even in their deeply personal nature." Meanwhile, The Skinny called it, "a captivating listen that demands your attention."[42]
That Summer, We Flew and The Wide, Wide River
In May 2020, during the coronavirus lockdown, Yorkston put together an album for digital download from Bandcamp, entitled That Summer, We Flew. He described it as an "album of demos, duets, covers and soundtrack work to help grease the wheels a bit during this time of Cholera."[43] This was followed in January 2021 by his tenth album proper, The Wide, Wide River, recorded with the Swedish music collective The Second Hand Orchestra. The songs were recorded over two studio sessions, with the band not having heard the material prior to recording.[44][45]
J. Wright Presents and The Great White Sea Eagle
James Yorkston with Nina Persson (playing with The Second Hand Orchestra) in 2023
In November 2021, Yorkston released a vinyl only compilation of his instrumental electronic music, reviving his original stage name, J. Wright Presents.[46]
In October 2022, Domino Recording Company posted a single by Yorkston, Nina Persson and The Secondhand Orchestra called "Hold Out For Love."[47] The post's description said the track was "from the forthcoming album 'The Great White Sea Eagle,' which was released 13th Jan 2022 on Domino Record Co., credited to "James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Secondhand Orchestra."[47]
Writing
In March 2011 Yorkston's debut book, It's Lovely to be Here: The Touring Diaries of a Scottish Gent, launched Domino Records new publishing venture, the Domino Press.[48] The website Goodreads called the book "a once-in-a-generation behind-the-scenes account of the music world seen from the eyes of a working singer-songwriter",[49] while The Line of Best Fit called it "a charming and witty account of life on the road."[48]
In early 2016, Freight Books published Yorkston's debut novel, Three Craws.[50] The tale of a failed artist returning home to Scotland from London, the book was praised by The Scotsman as being, "a subtle, insightful and occasionally very funny look at the way small rural communities can sometimes smother their own, pushing people away while simultaneously pulling them back, demanding success while at the same time secretly hoping for failure."[51]
In September 2022, Oldcastle Books published Yorkston's second novel, The Book of the Gaels.[52] The publicity cited "Rural West Cork, Ireland. Two Kids, Joseph and Paul, and their struggling, poet father, Fraser, are battling grief and poverty. When a letter arrives with a summons to Dublin and the promise of publication, it offers a chink of light – the hope of rescue. But Dublin is a long, wet and hungry way from West Cork in the mid-70s, especially when they have no money – just the clothes they stand up in and an old, battered suitcase".
Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called Domino Deutschland and a French division called Domino France. In addition, Stephen Pastel presides over the subsidiary label Geographic Music, which releases more 'unusual' music from Britain and outside of the Western world. In 2011, the company announced that it was beginning a book publishing division, The Domino Press.
Nina Elisabet Persson is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a guest artist with several other acts.
Jon Thorne is an English double bassist, producer and composer.
Lone Pigeon is the working name of Gordon Anderson, a Scottish musician and co-founder of The Beta Band. Later he was a member of The Aliens with John Maclean and Robin Jones from The Beta Band.
Kenny Anderson, known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, I DES, released in 2023. Anderson is also a member of Scottish-Canadian band The Burns Unit. In 2011, Anderson's collaborative album with Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Scottish Album of the Year Award. Astronaut Meets Appleman was also longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.
Moving Up Country is an album by James Yorkston and the Athletes.
Tom Bauchop, best known by his stage name U.N.P.O.C., is a Scottish musician and member of the Fence Collective. He has released two albums on Domino Records, Fifth Column and the limited edition Live at King Tut's. Fifth Column featured only two musicians: Bauchop, and drummer Stu Bastiman.
When the Haar Rolls In is the fourth studio album by James Yorkston. The haar in the title is also a metaphor for depression.
Fence Records was a Scottish independent record label based in Anstruther and Crail, Fife, Scotland, founded by musician King Creosote, and run by The Pictish Trail until 2013. Fence Records released records by James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Lone Pigeon, U.N.P.O.C., Kid Canaveral, eagleowl, Randolph's Leap, Deaf Mutes, Withered Hand, Delifinger, Barbarossa, The Shivers and FOUND amongst others. The Fence Collective is the name given to artists on or associated with the label.
Johnny Lynch is a Scottish musician who performs under the pseudonym The Pictish Trail. After graduation from the University of St Andrews, Lynch ran Fence Records from 2003 until 2013 and has since been running Lost Map Records. Lynch has attended and played every Green Man Festival since its inception in 2003. He's also played as band member with other musicians, including James Yorkston and Malcolm Middleton. In 2010 he released an album and toured with Adem Ilhan under the name Silver Columns.
Honest Words is an EP by Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote and English electronica musician Jon Hopkins, released on 19 September 2011 on Domino Records. The release is available on 12" vinyl and digital download.
Dan Willson, also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician.
The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society is a studio album by James Yorkston.
Suhail Yusuf Khan is an Indian sarangi player and vocalist. He is the grandson of Sarangi maestro Ustad Sabri Khan (1927-2015).
Julie McLarnon is a British recording engineer and record producer, known for working solely to analogue tape. Founder of Analogue Catalogue Studios, she has recorded albums for artists including the Vaselines, Lankum, Jeffrey Lewis, King Creosote, Duke Special and Alasdair Roberts.
Lisa O'Neill is an Irish singer-songwriter.
I Was a Cat from a Book is an album by the Scottish singer-songwriter James Yorkston, released in 2012 on Domino Records. The album was co-produced by the Welsh singer David Wrench and features a guest appearance by Kathryn Williams.
The Big Eyes Family Players/ Big Eyes Family are a group from Sheffield, UK, formed in 1999 by multi-instrumentalist James Green. They initially recorded experimental music under the name Big Eyes, but in 2006 they changed their name and began to venture more into folk and traditional music. They are best known for two albums of traditional material: Folk Songs, which they released in collaboration with the Scottish singer-songwriter James Yorkston on Domino Records in 2009; and the follow-up, Folk Songs II, featuring a variety of guest vocalists and released on Static Caravan Recordings in 2012.
The Wide, Wide River is an album by the Scottish singer-songwriter James Yorkston, recorded in collaboration with the Swedish collective The Second Hand Orchestra. Produced by Yorkston and Karl-Jonas Winqvist, it was released by Domino Records in January 2021.
Yorkston/Thorne/Khan is a musical trio made up of the Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist James Yorkston, English bass player and singer Jon Thorne and Indian sarangi player and singer Suhail Yusuf Khan. Their musical style has been described as "Indian-folk-jazz fusion" and "a kind of rustic neo-psychedelia". Their recordings feature both original and traditional material, with lyrics in English, Hindi, Urdu and other languages of the Indian subcontinent. They have released three albums on Domino Records.
1 2 Zobbel (16 June 2007). "Chart Log UK". Zobbel. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
Further reading
Galloway, Vic (1 September 2013). Songs in the Key of Fife: the Intertwining Stories of the Beta Band, King Creosote, KT Tunstall, James Yorkston and the Fence Collective. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN9781846972355.
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