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Wendy James | |
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| Birth name | Wendy James |
| Born | 21 January 1966 London, England |
| Genres | Pop punk, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | MCA Records |
| Website | thewendyjames |
Wendy Patricia James (born 21 January 1966) [1] is an English singer-songwriter most notable as the leadsinger of the pop rock band Transvision Vamp, [2] and for her collaborations with Elvis Costello, [3] James Williamson from Iggy & the Stooges, [4] Lenny Kaye from The Patti Smith Group [5] and James Sclavunos from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. She has released 10 albums from 1988 until 2024.
Born in London to a Norwegian mother and English father, [6] James was adopted soon after birth. She left home at the age of 16, moving to the East Sussex seaside resort town of Brighton. [7] There she met Nick Christian Sayer, who became her musical collaborator. Together Sayer and James moved to London and formed the pop-punk band Transvision Vamp, recruiting friends Dave Parsons and Tex Axile to complete the line-up. James was the lead singer and focal point of the group, and attracted media attention with her sexually charged and rebellious image. [8]
The band was signed by MCA in December 1986 and released a cover version of the Holly and the Italians song "Tell That Girl to Shut Up" in late 1987. Months later the follow-up single "I Want Your Love", with its pop/punk crossover appeal, entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. The band went on to release the hit album Pop Art in October. 1989 was the band's most successful year, with the number 3 hit single "Baby I Don't Care" and hit album Velveteen which entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and was a hit worldwide. [8]
Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble , the third and final studio album by Transvision Vamp, was released in 1991. The album, recorded after a break from touring to focus on songwriting, was cited by lead vocalist Wendy James as her personal favorite, particularly highlighting the track "If Looks Could Kill". Little Magnets Versus The Bubble of Babble was released internationally but remained available in the UK only as an import. Although it became the band's most successful release in the United States, ongoing tensions with the record label and exhaustion from years of touring, led James and Sayer to disband Transvision Vamp in San Francisco in 1992.
When Transvision Vamp split, James wrote to Elvis Costello asking for his guidance. In response Costello, collaborating with his then wife Cait O'Riordan on five of the ten songs, wrote a full album's worth of material for James. The cassette he recorded was waiting for her when she returned to London at the end of the tour. These songs made up the tracks on her 1993 solo album Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears . Produced by The Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey, [9] it reached No. 43 on the UK Albums Chart in March 1993. [10]
In 2002 James moved to Manhattan, New York, US and transformed her demo tape, written in London before she left, into her first release called Number One. James played all the instruments and recorded in Sonic Youth's studio in Hoboken, New Jersey. She played gigs with two local co-musicians Ray Sullivan aka Chip Striker on drums and Singh Birdsong on guitar. They played the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City and Madame JoJo's in Soho, London.
James followed up Number One in 2007 with Racine 2 . [2] The album was recorded in New Jersey at Water Studios with a full band consisting of Henrik Strahl on guitar, James Meynell on bass and Chip Striker on drums. They toured extensively throughout Europe, Scandinavia and UK.
A new album, entitled I Came Here to Blow Minds , was recorded in Paris in 2009 and mixed in Australia later that year. [11] anf digitally released on 19 October 2010. One track from the album had already been made available for download on RCRD LBL [12] since May 2009.
All songs on the album The Price of the Ticket were written co-written by James with James Williamson of The Stooges with the exception of two cover tracks,. These covers include songs originally by Bob Dylan and Fred "Sonic" Smith, known for his work with MC5 and Sonic's Rendezvous Band. The album was recorded in New York City, with Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids) serving as engineer.
The core recording sessions featured live performances by Lenny Kaye, Glen Matlock, and James Sclavunos. Following the initial sessions, James relocated to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, to complete the mixing process with engineer Jesse Nichols. Album artwork was photographed and designed by fashion designer Kym Ellery, a longtime collaborator of James. The album hit number 15 in the UK Official Vinyl Album Chart and 13 on the Official Independent Album Chart.
In October 2019, James was touring as 'the Wendy James Band' in support of the Psychedelic Furs, promoting a new album, Queen High Straight . [13] The album appeared in the UK indie chart at number 16. The album's tour included a support slot with The Psychedelic Furs around the UK, [14] and then a 32 date comprehensive tour of the UK. Recorded and mixed in the UK, the album was mastered in New York. It was released in 2020 on the Wendy James Label.
On 25 October 2024 James released her latest album, The Shape of History , on the Wendy James Label. [15] It was released in two vinyl formats - a wide spine cover double vinyl LP, consisting of one 12" vinyl and one 10" vinyl. The 12" plays at 33 1/3 RPM and the 10" plays at 45 RPM.
James described the album as her 10th and referenced a range of musical influences including 1970s New York punk, electronic, glam rock, punk/pop, 1950s rock and roll, Motown, hip hop, rhythm and blues, spirituals, country, ska, soul, and film scores. [16] The album was recorded in West London and Brooklyn, mixed in Berkeley, California, and mastered in Brooklyn.
It reached number 16 on the UK indie album chart and number 39 on the overall UK album chart. [17]
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