About
James
Singer | Songwriter | Storyteller
THE RISE AND THE RIDE
Born and raised on the family’s sheep and cattle station near Stanthorpe in Queensland, James’s life changed forever when the then 23-year-old was crowned winner of 1987’s Starmaker Talent Quest. So began the arc of critical and popular acclaim, the sell-out tours, the Chart topping albums like Hand It Down (1990), This Road (1992) and the massive country crossover hit Way Out West (peaking at #2 on the ARIA charts) with James Reyne. James was the first young Australian country act to sign a major record label deal in Nashville, laying down a trail followed by Keith Urban, Catherine Britt and Kasey Chambers.
THE EXIT AND THE EXILE
In the late 90s James laid down his crown and walked away from the spotlight. For two years he lived the life of a travelling troubadour in Europe.
Returning to Australia in 2003, James began to write a remarkable body of work that that has informed the second phase of his career as a fiercely independent recording artist, singer | songwriter, commentator and mentor.
THE RETURN AND THE REKINDLING
In July 2022 James left life down on the farm for The Clubhouse, one of the. last great residential studios in America to record the body of songs that would make up Patience Wins with Larry Campbell and Justin Guip, the Grammy Award winning production team, responsible for the late great Levon Helm’s post Band albums. James described the sessions as “The most profoundly gratifying of my career. It was a master class in serving the song”
James returned to Australia recharged and ready to share what his time in America had revealed. On the back of an expansive touring schedule he dropped four superb singles, Sideways, Queen of The Lost Highway, Almost Anzac Day (launched by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese) and Whiskey Tree. All four songs peaked in the Top 10 country charts.
Following on from the success of all four singles the Patience Wins album debuted at Number 1 on the ARIA Australian Country Charts released on James’s new label home Ambition Music.