Biography

I was born a small black child in Jacksonville Florida, and as time grew so did my white skin, eventually leading to the artwork on my body. Go figure! Ok, seriously folks............I was born in 1970. I started playing music in sixth grade, and went through school playing various instruments in Jazz, Orchestra and the marching band.

I started playing bass guitar Christmas of my fourteenth year. I started with an old Guild B301, kinda like a Gibson body style but a good instrument. Right away I was trying to learn Iron Maiden and Rush, and loved early Malmsteen also. Those were my main influences that moulded my young, fragile mind. I still love those guys of course.

Geddy and Steve definitely trained me. I broke a lot of strings and gave my parents headaches but that's ok. As I grew older everything became an influence, from the simpler things, progressive and technical, to hardcore. You have to be eclectic and become a sponge to get better or you get stuck in ruts. Playing in garages and little parties was always fun, but after school was my first serious project. We called it Prodigy, before the lame techno group. Kent and Brent Smedley were on guitar and drums, some of the best musicians I have ever played with. Kent taught me theory and tons of classical exercises that had me busy 8 hours a day for a couple of years, kinda hard with a job but oh well. I think the job was just to supply the strings. A couple years on I played with some guys on the other side of town, a band called Mad Axe, then eventually Brutal Assault. That band was before it's time, good grinding hardcore. I moved here and there and eventually got back with the same brothers, this time calling it Odyssey. We recorded an album which never became of anything, it really does help to know people and at the time we surely didn't. Eventually Brent Smedley and I both got into Iced Earth in 1996. Brent was around for about 4 albums and his performance on Alive In Athens was amazing. In the summer of 2004 I got the gig with Megadeth when I learned that Iced Earth was going to be in a long hiatus. As I write this, I've been out of the Mega camp a little over two months and wish those guys nothing but the best. I learned a lot from both Jon Schaffer and Dave Mustaine, from hard work, the studio, the road. Those experiences are invaluable and made me the man I am today. I will never forget any of it!

To end this on a happy note......I was married to the woman of my dreams at the end of March 06. To see what's next for me, keep checking the news section. Peace and God Bless.

James.
21st April 2006