Freddie & The Screamers

Trackimage Playbut Trackname Playbut Trackname
Full Moon On Main Street 00:00 Tools
Raised On the Blues 00:00 Tools
Her Love Is Killing Me 00:00 Tools
Life Is Hard 00:00 Tools
Both Sides Of The Fence 00:00 Tools
Tough As Nails 00:00 Tools
I'm Looking For A Woman 00:00 Tools
Your Butt's Too Big 00:00 Tools
Why Baby 00:00 Tools
Diddy Wah Doo 00:00 Tools
Darkness 00:00 Tools
Stone Blues 00:00 Tools
Rock My World 00:00 Tools
A Pretty Short Ride 00:00 Tools
Don't Mess With Me Baby 00:00 Tools
Big Black Cadillac 00:00 Tools
Temporary Insanity 00:00 Tools
Instant Love 00:00 Tools
Pissin' Up A Rope 00:00 Tools
She's Dangerous 00:00 Tools
Hot Damn 00:00 Tools
Wrong Five O'Clock 00:00 Tools
Full moon on the Main Street 00:00 Tools
They All Look Better In Green 00:00 Tools
I Ain't Crazy 00:00 Tools
Heart Of Stone 00:00 Tools
Lightning 00:00 Tools
It's A Jungle Out There 00:00 Tools
Get That Feeling 00:00 Tools
Meltdown 00:00 Tools
Automobile 00:00 Tools
Little Meat On The Side 00:00 Tools
X-Ray Glasses 00:00 Tools
Death Letter Blues 00:00 Tools
Love And Tenderness 00:00 Tools
1-800 Love 00:00 Tools
The Eyes Don't Lie 00:00 Tools
I Like Women 00:00 Tools
I Got Wise 00:00 Tools
Check Out Her Mama 00:00 Tools
Boney Legged Woman 00:00 Tools
Is It Good To You Baby 00:00 Tools
Get A Life 00:00 Tools
Can't Live With 'Em 00:00 Tools
Axe Is Gonna Fall 00:00 Tools
I Can't Get Enough 00:00 Tools
I Get My Fun Where I Find It 00:00 Tools
Your Butt's Too Bug 00:00 Tools
Long Hot Summer 00:00 Tools
You Can't Blame A Guy For Trying 00:00 Tools
Two Lovers 00:00 Tools
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Nashville producer Fred James is as much a documentarian as he is musician and entrepreneur, and his Bluesland Productions is considered one of the world’s foremost independent music companies devoted to blues, soul, and American roots music. On February 3, 1954, Fred James was born in San Antonio, TX, the family moving to Wichita, KS, where he was raised. His father, Fred James, Sr., is a noted jazz trumpet player who recorded with the Johnny Harris Quartet in the ’70s. His uncle, Doug James, is a New York studio musician who has worked with Paul Butterfield, Orleans, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and many others. With radio in the mid-’60s being very eclectic, and with jazz and blues constantly played around the house while he was growing up, Fred found that he liked it all, inspirations and influences coming from Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Buck Owens, and, according to the producer/musician, «all of the rock groups.» His first attendance at a concert was the Jimmy Smith Trio with the Ramsey Lewis Trio; the second was a Dick Clark road show with Freddy «Boom Boom» Cannon, Keith Allison, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and The Animals. To say his family is musical is an understatement, with two of his brothers also in the business as recording artists and studio musicians. James moved to Nashville in 1973, as it was still wide open to young talent in those days. He immediately found work in the studios and on the road with artists like Billy Joe Shaver, Vern Gosdin, and Townes Van Zandt, among others. Listed in Frets magazine as one of Nashville’s top studio musicians, James had an artistic side that also leaned toward pursuing a career in songwriting. While writing for Mel Tillis’ publishing company, he got his first cut with the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. In 1977 he recorded his first LP, Alfred James, for the tiny Cascade label. By the early ’80s James was playing guitar with Dr. Hook and the band was using the Memphis Horns to augment the lineup. When the tour was over, James was asked to become the singer and guitarist with the Memphis Horns. He did this for the next two years until the Horns became too busy in the studio to continue live work. At this point he began writing for Audigram Music, home of J.J. Cale. He wrote «Full Moon on Main Street,» which was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award as Best Blues Song of 1987. The following year he wrote «Lightning» for Johnny Winter’s Winter of ‘88 album. The success of these two songs enabled James to start his own publishing company and really pursue the thriving «blues boom» of the ’90s. Song after song started being recorded by artists like Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, Junior Wells with Bonnie Raitt, Son Seals, C.J. Chenier, Katie Webster, and Charlie Musselwhite, and James secured five Grammy nominations in the process. He formed Freddie & the Screamers with members of the Amazing Rhythm Aces and Willie Dixon’s band. The group recorded four CDs for various small labels in Europe, Australia, and the U.S. The list of people Fred James has played guitar for is a veritable who’s who of pop, soul, jazz, blues, and roots music: Johnny Copeland, Arthur Williams, the Jelly Roll Kings, Billy Joe Shaver, Bo Diddley, the Carter Brothers, the Memphis Horns, Dr. Hook, the Excello Legends, Tommy Tutone, Townes Van Zandt, Dickey Lee, the Delta Jukes, Black Tie, Vern Gosdin, Bobby Hebb, and many, many others. As a producer, he recorded the likes of the Sam Lay Blues Band, Homesick James, Frank Frost, Roscoe Shelton, and Earl Gaines for labels like Black Top, Evidence, Telarc, Ichiban, Appaloosa, Hightone, Black Magic, and on and on. With this success, Bluesland began acquiring classic master recordings from the ’50s and ’60s, purchasing the catalogs of Champion, Poncello, Ref-O-Ree, and Bullet/Sur-Speed/Delta. This classic blues and soul has been reissued all over the world. He has performed across Europe with his wife, Mary-Ann Brandon, and also with Frank Frost and the Jelly Roll Kings, the Excello Legends (Roscoe Shelton and Earl Gaines), and Charles Walker and Johnny Jones. James was the guitarist for the Amazing Rhythm Aces since their 1990s reunion, and can also be heard on their Nothin’ But the Blues disc. James has also recorded three solo albums and tours and performs with his own group when time permits. He started his own ROAD Records label in partnership with Brandon, with a release that features his father on trumpet and members of the Amazing Rhythm Aces guesting. In his spare time he is usually found writing liner notes for Aim Records reissues of the Sound Stage Seven series featuring music by Moody Scott, Earl Gaines, and Geater Davis, and other labels like Black Magic Records, Ace Records (U.K.), and Germany’s Bear Family Records. A book entitled The Big Bang: The American Musical Renaissance 1925-1975 was in the works in 2006. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi Fred James has played guitar for Johnny Copeland, Arthur Williams, The Jelly Roll Kings, Billy Joe Shaver, Bo Diddley, The Carter Bros., The Memphis Horns, Dr. Hook, The Excello Legends, Tommy Tutone, David Houston, The International Submarine Band, The Sam Lay Blues Band, Homesick James, The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Billy C. Farlow, Townes Van Zandt, Roscoe Robinson, Orion, Kip Anderson, O.B. McClinton, Ronnie Sessions, Dickie Lee, The Delta Jukes, Black Tie, Vern Gosdin, Bobby Hebb and many, many others. Fred has five Grammy Award nominations for songs he wrote on albums nominated in the «Best Traditional Blues Album» or «Best Contemporary Blues Album» category. Fred was nominated for a Nashville Music Award in the «Best Producer» category. He also won a Nashville Music Award for producing the «Outstanding Blues Album». Fred has three W.C. Handy Award nominations. One in the «Best Blues Song» category (for his composition «Full Moon On Main Street») and two for producing albums nominated for the «Best Comeback Album» category. Fred has won the Canadian Real Blues award twice (2003 and 2004) in the catagory of «Blues Crusader» for furthering Blues music in the recording industry. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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