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James Fearnley | |
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 James Fearnley, Zenith, Munich, 07-06-2011 with the Pogues (photo: Zuzana Pernicová) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Fearnley |
| Born | 9 October 1954 |
| Origin | Worsley, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Formerly of | |
James Fearnley (born 9 October 1954, in Worsley) is an English musician. He played accordion in the Celtic punk band The Pogues. [1]
As a child he was a choir treble before his voice changed at the age of sixteen. He took piano lessons but did not enjoy it, so he chose to learn the guitar instead. He played with the singer Nik Wade and later with a group called The Mixers, a band based in Teddington. Fearnley became the guitarist in the last edition of Shane MacGowan's band The Nipple Erectors. [2]
The group then consisted of Shane MacGowan on vocals, Shanne Bradley on bass and Jon Moss on drums. When The Nips disbanded at the end of 1980, Fearnley joined the soul band The Giants. Fearnley was asked by Moss if he wanted to become a permanent member of a band in which he sometimes played, Culture Club. Due to a misunderstanding, Fearnley never joined Culture Club, and shortly after this the band went on to fame. [3]
Fearnley sold his guitar and spent a year writing a novel. In 1982, MacGowan and Jem Finer were seeking an accordion player for their latest project, The Pogues. MacGowan knew that Fearnley had taken piano lessons and believed that he may have been able to play the accordion too. Finer turned up at Fearnley's flat with an accordion in a laundry bag and persuaded him to give it a try. Fearnley was nicknamed 'maestro' because he could tune the instruments. Thus, he joined The Pogues, with whom he played for many years.
In 1989, he married actress Danielle von Zerneck and moved to Los Angeles, California. He and Danielle have two daughters Martha and Irene. Fearnley left The Pogues in 1994 due to the band's heavy touring schedule, to spend more time with his family. He rejoined the band following its reunion in 2001.
He was a founding member of The Low And Sweet Orchestra, which released their debut album of Spaghetti Western-styled ballads Goodbye To All That in 1996. This group consisted of former Thelonious Monster vocalist Mike Martt, Circle Jerks' Zander Schloss (guitar), the brothers Kieran and Dermot Mulroney (violins, cello, dobro), Tom Barta (bass) and Will Hughes (drums).
Fearnley has appeared as a guest musician on albums with Talking Heads ( Naked ), David Byrne, Julia Fordham, Steve Earle, Dylan Walshe and Melissa Etheridge ( Yes I Am ) among other.
In 1995 he wrote the score for the film, God's Lonely Man.
Fearnley plays accordion, guitar, foot-operated snare drum and sings with Cranky George, [4] 'a band of one-man-bands' with Dermot Mulroney (cello, guitar, mandolin, foot-operated cymbal and hi-hat, and vocals), Kieran Mulroney (violin, ukuleles, guitars, foot-operated cowbell) and Brad Wood (bass, hat-box bass-drum and vocals) and Sebastian Sheehan (percussion).
On 12 January 2012, he released his first single "Hey Ho". It was recorded with John King of Dust Brothers.
The first volume of his memoirs, Here Comes Everybody: The Story of the Pogues was published by Faber and Faber on 19 April 2012 in the UK. [5]
In June 2019 Fearnley, alongside Flogging Molly's Ted Hutt and Marc Orrell of Dropkick Murphys announced the formation of a new supergroup, The Walker Roaders. The Walker Roaders' debut record was released on 23 August 2019. [6]
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, as Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". Their politically tinged music was informed by the punk backgrounds of MacGowan and bandmate Peter "Spider" Stacy, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin and accordion. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, most notably with the Christmas hit single "Fairytale of New York" (1987) and the studio albums Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985) and If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988).
The Popes are a band originally formed by Shane MacGowan and Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness, who play a blend of rock, Irish folk and Americana.
Swagger is the debut studio album by the Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, mixed by Steve Albini. It was released in 2000.
Red Roses for Me is the debut studio album by the London-based band the Pogues, released on 15 October 1984. It was produced by Stan Brennan, who had managed the Nipple Erectors/The Nips and Rocks Off Records shop in London.
Copperhead Road is the third studio album by Steve Earle, released in 1988. The album is often referred to as Earle's first "rock record"; Earle himself calls it the world's first blend of heavy metal and bluegrass, and the January 26, 1989 review of the album by Rolling Stone suggested that the style be called "power twang".
Hell's Ditch is the fifth studio album by The Pogues, released on 1 October 1990, and the last to feature frontman Shane MacGowan as a member.
Sing Loud, Sing Proud! is the third studio album from Boston punk rock band the Dropkick Murphys. Before the album's release in 2001, guitarist Rick Barton left the band. He announced James Lynch of Boston punk band The Ducky Boys as his successor. As well as Lynch, the band also recruited then 17-year-old Marc "The Kid" Orrell on lead guitar. The band also recruited a full-time piper, Robbie Mederios, and Ryan Foltz on mandolin and tin whistle.
Waiting for Herb is the sixth studio album by the Pogues, released in 1993, and their first without lead singer Shane MacGowan.
Dermot Patrick Mulroney is an American actor. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films.
Peace and Love is the fourth studio album by the Pogues, released in July 1989.
The Nips are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 as the Nipple Erectors by punk artist Shanne Bradley. They were Shane MacGowan's first musical group.
Peter Richard "Spider" Stacy is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known for playing tin whistle and sometimes singing for The Pogues.
The Mahones are a Canadian Irish punk band, formed on St. Patrick's Day in 1990, in Kingston, Ontario.
The Tossers are an American six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, formed in July 1993. They have toured with Murphy's Law, Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, Dropkick Murphys, The Reverend Horton Heat, Flogging Molly, Street Dogs, Clutch, Sick of it All and Mastodon. They opened for The Pogues in New York City on St. Patrick's Day in 2007. The Tossers were honored to play the Kennedy Center in May 2016.
Marc John Orrell is an American guitarist known for being a former member of the Boston Celtic punk band the Dropkick Murphys. He joined the band in 2000, he was 17 years old, while they were recording Sing Loud, Sing Proud and remained with the group until January 2008, when he left to pursue a different musical style.
"Haunted" is a 1986 single by The Pogues. It was featured on the Sid and Nancy Soundtrack, the original soundtrack for the movie Sid and Nancy. It reached chart position #42 in the UK. Originally sung by Cait O'Riordan, in 1995 the song was re-recorded as a duet between former Pogues vocalist Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O'Connor for the Two If by Sea/Stolen Hearts soundtrack, this time reaching #30 in the UK. The original version was included on disc 1 of the 2008 compilation "Just Look Them In The Eye And Say... POGUE MAHONE!!"
Pogue Mahone is the seventh and final studio album by The Pogues, released in February 1996. The title is a variant of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse", from which the band's name is derived. It was the band's second studio album recorded after the departure of Shane MacGowan, and features Spider Stacy in the role of lead singer.
The Best of the Pogues is a greatest hits album by The Pogues, released in September 1991. The album was dedicated to the memory of Deborah Korner.
The Crock of Gold was the second and final full-length album by Shane MacGowan and the Popes and was released in November 1997 on ZTT Records. The Crock of Gold followed The Snake, MacGowan's first solo album after the breakup of The Pogues, and was less critically acclaimed than its predecessor. The album is named for the novel by Irish writer James Stephens. It is the last full studio album MacGowan recorded before his passing in November 2023.
Essential Pogues is a greatest hits album by The Pogues, released in November 1991.
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