Jimmy Fox

Last updated

Jimmy Fox
Jimmy Fox drummer (cropped).jpg
Background information
Birth nameJames Kent Fox
Also known asJim Fox
Born (1947-08-24) August 24, 1947 (age 76)
Origin Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums
Formerly of James Gang

James Kent Fox (born August 24, 1947) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the James Gang, as well as the band's founder and its namesake. He is the only member of the group to appear in every incarnation of the band. He joined a mostly instrumental Cleveland rock and R&B band called the Starfires while in high school and also remained as a member of its successor band, the Outsiders. [1]

Contents

Education

Fox took advantage of the opportunity to study drums in school when he was in the fourth grade. Beginning with a pair of sticks and a practice pad, he also had the chance to take instruction from a junior high band director each week. As he recalled in an interview, he began taking music theory classes at the Cleveland Music School Settlement when he was approximately seven or eight years old.

"They were valuable to me because over and above what I actually learned there. I was already aspiring to be a drummer," Fox says. "But my father was dead set against it, preferring that I choose a 'musical' instrument." The elder Fox had good reason to be cautious—he had been a professional violinist [2] and vocalist with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, working with the bandleader in Los Angeles and also on the road in the 1920s.

With the help of his instructor at the Settlement, he was eventually able to change his father's mind and his dad helped him find further education resources to develop his playing skills.

"My dad checked out the local teaching scene and found a private drum teacher who was involved in both classical music and popular music, as well as the basics of jazz," he says. "This was very beneficial to me because it allowed me to receive a rounded education on not only drums, but all percussion instruments, including mallets (marimba, xylophone, etc.) and tympani." [2]

Career

The James Gang performing at VetsAid concert in November 2022 James Gang Performing at VetsAid, Columbus, Ohio, November 13, 2022.png
The James Gang performing at VetsAid concert in November 2022

In addition to his work with the James Gang, he has additional session credits with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Stephen Stills and Chuck Mangione. [3]

2016 brought the release of Sunday Morning Revival, a free-form jam session that was captured on a single Sunday morning in the spring of 1967 and christened decades later as the Schwartz-Fox Blues Crusade. [4] Fox and two other members of the James Gang, guitarist Glenn Schwartz and bassist Tom Kriss, came together with Bill "Mr. Stress" Miller (vocals/harmonica), Rich Kriss (guitars/vocals) and pianist Mike Sands in a small recording studio overlooking Lake Erie. A deep-rooted love for the blues brought the grouping of Cleveland-based musicians together. They spent time playing through a selection of standards by Sonny Boy Williamson II ("Ninety Nine," "Dissatisfied"), Muddy Waters ("Long Distance Call"), Elmore James ("Dust My Broom"), Willie Dixon ("Evil"), among others. As Fox would recollect in an interview at the time the collection was released by Smog Veil Records, their intentions were pure. "We were immersed in the blues, and I thought, 'Wow, wouldn't it be great to get some of this on tape?'" [5]

Fox most recently performed with the James Gang at the VetsAid concert in Columbus, Ohio, on November 13, 2022. [6]


License plate collection

He is an avid collector of automobile license plates, serving as an officer of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association and authoring the most prominent published work within the hobby, License Plates of the United States ( ISBN   1886777004), which was issued initially in 1994.

Fox first became interested in license plates in 1954 when he was seven years old and at one time, he had a collection of 30 thousand plates. Fans and friends were always curious about his chosen hobby. "Not everyone can appreciate the fineries of a rusting hunk of old steel," he wrote in his book. Although he would stop collecting for a short period of time in the early '60s after he became focused on his musical aspirations and drumming, it wasn't a permanent shift. By the time he was on the road as a touring musician in the late '60s, he quickly rediscovered his love for license plates. [7]

Although his book only covers the history of United States license plates, Fox's own interests extend far beyond that and he likes to collect unusual non-passenger plates domestically and "all types of plates" from other parts of the world. Still based in the Cleveland area, [8] he has a collection of about a thousand plates and remains an active participant in the scene.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blues Brothers</span> American blues and soul band

The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. Belushi and Aykroyd were lead vocalist 'Joliet' Jake Blues and harmonica player and vocalist Elwood Blues, respectively, donning black suits with matching trilby hats and sunglasses. The band was composed of well-known musicians and debuted as the musical guest in a 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live, opening the show performing "Hey Bartender" and "Soul Man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Walsh</span> American rock musician

Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles, his five-decade career has also included solo work and stints in two other successful rock bands: James Gang and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs. In the 1990s, he was a member of the short-lived supergroup the Best.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Densmore</span> American drummer

John Paul Densmore is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band, with drumming inspired by jazz and world music as much as by rock and roll. The many honors he shares with the other Doors include a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Rich</span> American jazz drummer and bandleader (1917–1987)

Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pere Ubu</span> American rock band

Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Keltner</span> American drummer

James Lee Keltner is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Gang</span> American rock band

James Gang was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh, Tom Kriss (bass), and Jim Fox (drums). Dale Peters replaced Kriss on bass for the band's second and third albums. Two of the band's songs, "Funk #49" and "Walk Away", continue to be popular on classic rock and AOR stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmine Appice</span> American drummer (born 1946)

Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's older brother. Appice was inducted into the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014.

Glenn W. Schwartz was an American guitarist who first came to the attention of rock music audiences as the original guitar player of the James Gang, based in Cleveland, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Outsiders (American band)</span> American rock and roll band (1965–70)

The Outsiders were an American rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King. The band released the hit single "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at No. 5 in the US in April. The band had three other Hot 100 top 40 hit singles in 1966, but none on the Hot 100 afterwards, and released a total of four albums in the mid-1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jabo Starks</span> American drummer (1938–2018)

John Henry "Jabo" Starks, sometimes spelled Jab'o, was an American funk and blues drummer best known for playing with James Brown as well as other notable musicians including Bobby Bland and B.B. King. A self-taught musician, he was known for his effective and clean drum patterns. He was one of the originators of funk drumming, and is one of the most sampled drummers.

<i>Yer Album</i> 1969 studio album by The James Gang

Yer' Album is the debut studio album by American rock band James Gang. The album was released in early 1969 on the Bluesway label. This is the James Gang's only album to feature their bassist Tom Kriss. He was replaced by Dale Peters for their next album. The album is the first to feature guitarist Joe Walsh, who would later achieve success as a solo artist and with the Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Heights High School</span> Public, coeducational high school in Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States

Cleveland Heights High School is the senior high school of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, United States.

Christopher Butler is an American musician, writer, and artist who is best known for leading the 1980s new wave band The Waitresses. His notable songs include "I Know What Boys Like", "No Guilt", "Christmas Wrapping" and the theme song for the TV sitcom Square Pegs.

The Starfires is an American rock and roll band founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1958 by Tom King when he was 15. The band is sometimes identified as Tom King and the Starfires. King is best known as the original bandleader of the Outsiders; however, it was only at the insistence of Capitol Records that the band's name was changed when they created their breakout hit "Time Won't Let Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah Chrome</span> American musician (born 1955)

Eugene Richard O'Connor, better known by his stage name Cheetah Chrome, is an American musician who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket from the Tombs and the punk rock band Dead Boys.

Pacific Gas & Electric was an American rock band in the late 1960s and early 1970s, led by singer Charlie Allen. Their biggest hit was the gospel-tinged "Are You Ready?" in 1970.

Venomin James is an American doom metal band formed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, in 2005.

Buzz Clic is an American musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist for the punk rock band, the Rubber City Rebels.

References

  1. ↑ Jim Fox at Allmusic
  2. 1 2 "An Interview with Jim Fox | Music In A Word" . Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Jim Fox". Modern Drummer Magazine. August 5, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Schwartz Fox Blues Crusade "Sunday Morning Revival" LP - Smog Veil Records". www.smogveil.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Interview: James Gang drummer Jim Fox talks 'Blues Crusade'". AXS. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  6. ↑ Graff, Gary (November 2022). "7 Best Moments at 2022 VetsAid Concert". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ Fox, James K. (1997). License plates of the United States : a pictorial history 1903 to the present. Crisler, Bob., Crisler, Chuck. New York: Interstate Directory Pub. Co. ISBN   1886777004. OCLC   36827049.
  8. ↑ Ferris, D. X. "Back in the Saddle". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.