Brian James

Brian James was both a journeyman rock guitarist and one of the founding fathers of British punk. As guitarist with the Damned, he wrote "New Rose," the first British punk single, contributing the song's irresistible buzzsaw guitar riff. James' run with the Damned was short, and he formed Tanz Der Youth and played guitar with Iggy Pop before he co-founded The Lords of the New Church in 1981, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1982. James put out a solo album in 1990, 'Brian James', and would record and perform with a wide variety of artists over the next three decades. 

Brian James was born Brian Robertson in Hammersmith, London, England on February 18, 1955; he adopted the name Brian James when he began playing guitar and wanted to avoid confusion with the Thin Lizzy member of the same name. Soaking up the influences of Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, he became a professional musician as a rhythm guitarist with a band called Train, whose sole recording, "Whitchi Tai To" b/w "Speakin' My Mind," was released under the group name Taiconderoga. In 1973, after becoming a fan of the Stooges, he formed a harder-edged band called Bastard, who enjoyed some success in Belgium but had a hard time getting bookings at home. In 1975, James joined the band London SS, a proto-punk band who never recorded or gigged, but whose lineup also included Mick Jones before he joined The Clash, and Tony James, who went on to form Generation X. James' breakthrough came when he co-founded the Damned in 1976 with singer Dave Vanian, bassist Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. With James playing guitar and writing most of the material, the band quickly made a splash on the burgeoning London punk scene, and they were soon signed to an upstart indie label, Stiff Records. Their debut single, "New Rose" b/w "Help!" was the first British punk single, beating the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." by five weeks. It was a modest hit, and their second single, "Neat Neat Neat" b/w "Stab Yor Back," actually made the charts. The Damned's frantic, rough-edged sound made them one of punk's leading acts, and their first album, 'Damned Damned Damned', released in February 1977, became a surprise hit. The Damned also became the first British punk band to tour the United States, but they rushed out a second album, 'Music for Pleasure', which arrived in shops in November 1977. It was a commercial and critical disappointment, and in February 1978, they broke up. In 1979, the Damned reunited, but James opted not to join them. 

Only a few months after the collapse of the Damned, James debuted a new group, Tanz Der Youth. They delivered a single, "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry" b/w "Delay," in September 1978, but fell apart before they could make a follow-up. James joined Iggy Pop's road band in 1979, and that same year he released his first solo single, "Ain't That a Shame" b/w "Living in Sin" and "I Can Make You Cry," with Stewart Copeland of The Police on drums. In 1981, James co-founded The Lords of the New Church with former Dead Boys vocalist Stiv Bators; the initial lineup also included former Sham 69 bassist Dave Tregunna and ex-Barracudas drummer Nick Turner. Their sound was a polished blend of goth, hard rock, and punk, and after signing with Illegal Records in the U.K. and I.R.S. in the United States, they put out their first LP, 'The Lords of the New Church', in 1982. The band would tour heavily and release two more studio albums, 1983's 'Is Nothing Sacred' and 1984's 'The Method to Our Madness', and scored minor hits with "Live for Today," "Dance with Me," and a gritty cover of Madonna's "Like a Virgin." The band broke up after a chaotic gig in May 1989. Bators died in 1990. James and Tregunna assembled a new version of the band in 2001, but they broke up again in 2003. 

After playing a one-off reunion show with the Damned in 1988, James began work on his first solo LP. Simply titled 'Brian James', it was issued by the French label New Rose in 1990. His next project was The Dripping Lips, a group based in Brussels, Belgium, that also included vocalist Robbie Kelman, bassist Alan Lee Shaw, and drummer Paul Zahl. Their first album was the soundtrack to the 1993 film "Abracadabra", while a second album, 1998's 'Ready to Crack', was produced by Jimmy Miller, best known for his work with the Rolling Stones. In 2001, James teamed with former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer to form an ad hoc group called The Racketeers, which also featured Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Stewart Copeland, Clem Burke of Blondie, and Brock Avery trading off on drums. The Racketeers issued an album, 'Mad for the Racket'; it was reissued in 2004 with the artist credit changed to Wayne Kramer & Brian James. James and his former Lords of the New Church bandmate Dave Tregunna took on a new project, The Brian James Gang, with drummer Steve Murray. The trio cut an album for the British Easy Action label, 2006's 'The Brian James Gang'. 

In 2012, to the surprise of many, James cut an acoustic album, 'Chateau Brian', credited to Brian James and Grand Cru, featuring original songs and covers of several blues classics. He was on more familiar ground on his next LP, 2013's 'Damned If I Do', where he cut new versions of nine songs he wrote during his years with the Damned. That same year, he was a guest artist on the album 'On the Guest List', from veteran punks The Vibrators; other guests included Wayne Kramer, Ty Segall, Ross the Boss from the Dictators, and Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers. Another tough rock & roll album followed, 2015's 'The Guitar That Dripped Blood'; the opening track, "Becoming a Nuisance," found James trading licks with Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome. In 2022, the original lineup of the Damned staged a short-term reunion, playing a five-date tour in the U.K. It proved to be one of James' last major concert appearances; he died on March 6, 2025, at the age of 70. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]