James Curley

Americana • Chicago, 60626, US

Songs

0:00 / 3:43
Halleluiah, You Never Know
3:43
0:00 / 4:08
Radio Fade
4:08
0:00 / 4:03
TV Or Not TV
4:03
0:00 / 4:06
There Used To Be A Train
4:06
0:00 / 3:51
A Townes Van Zandt Song
3:51
0:00 / 4:13
Darwin's Tribe
4:13
0:00 / 3:50
Goodman's Shoes
3:50
0:00 / 4:08
Mutineer
4:08
0:00 / 4:23
The Blue Austin Waltz
4:23
0:00 / 4:44
Grace Under Pressure
4:44
0:00 / 4:35
The Virtual Waltz
4:35
0:00 / 2:28
Unleash The Light
2:28
0:00 / 4:21
Poet Laureate
4:21
0:00 / 4:09
On An Ordinary Day
4:09
0:00 / 4:01
My Last Silent Night
4:01
0:00 / 4:38
Lay Down Big Easy
4:38
0:00 / 5:10
Tom's Cafe
5:10
0:00 / 3:24
Houston
3:24
0:00 / 3:20
The Barnyard Dance
3:20
0:00 / 5:08
Ebb and Flow
5:08
0:00 / 2:50
Moonlight, Cold Wind
2:50
0:00 / 3:58
The Hunt
3:58
0:00 / 3:57
Never Been To Memphis
3:57
0:00 / 2:53
The Time I Broke Your Heart
2:53
0:00 / 3:51
Our Lady of Rogers Park
3:51
0:00 / 3:21
Because Of You
3:21
0:00 / 5:20
Deep In My Bones
5:20
0:00 / 2:36
Flies !
2:36
0:00 / 3:30
I Jumped Bail
3:30
0:00 / 2:37
Star To Star
2:37

About the Artist

"The Best Damn Writer/Songsinger You Never Heard." James Curley began writing songs in the mid 1970s in his native Philadelphia, influenced mainly by trips to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to local clubs like The Main Point, Grendel's Lair and others. He appeared as a solo songwriter back then, opening locally for other artists of the day, including Artie Traum and Lou London. Leaving Philadelphia, James played in Denver, Boulder, Eugene and other areas and eventually wound up in Houston, where he was heavily influenced by the Texas songwriter scene there at the time. Moving to Austin in 1979, he immersed himself deeper in the local songwriting scene and performed in venues there until moving to Chicago several years later. Taking a hiatus from music from 1987 until 1997 to raise a family and start a small business, James took up songwriting with earnest again, and released his first CD - Tom's Cafe - in 2002, Several tracks continue to get modest airplay on indie, folk and college radio stations, as well as having been synced to film and cable television shows. The CD was produced by guitarist Larry Clyman (Big Shoulders, The Otters, Lonnie Brooks Band) and featured performances from some of James musical friends like Nancy Walker and Sue Demel (Sons of the Never Wrong), Jay Sebastian (Twang Bang) and others. In 2007, James released his 2nd CD - Manufactured Meaning - again working with Larry Clyman. Larry had moved to upstate New York, and James collaborated there with local musicians like Tony Markellis (David Bromberg Band) and Rick Rourke (Lost Wages) to produce the record. Several songs from the record, especially Lay Down Big Easy - a lament for the post-Katrina reality of New Orleans - continue to receive radio airplay. 2013 saw the release of There Used To Be a Train – James’ 3rd CD. Produced and arranged by John Abbey and featuring some of Chicago’s best Folk/Americana musicians as well as support from the groups Sons of The Never Wrong and 2-Bit Palomino, the record is enjoying excellent early reviews and radio airplay.

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Songs

Halleluiah, You Never Know

Radio Fade

TV Or Not TV

There Used To Be A Train

A Townes Van Zandt Song

Darwin's Tribe

Goodman's Shoes

Mutineer

The Blue Austin Waltz

Grace Under Pressure

The Virtual Waltz

Unleash The Light

Poet Laureate

On An Ordinary Day

My Last Silent Night

Lay Down Big Easy

Tom's Cafe

Houston

The Barnyard Dance

Ebb and Flow

Moonlight, Cold Wind

The Hunt

Never Been To Memphis

The Time I Broke Your Heart

Our Lady of Rogers Park

Because Of You

Deep In My Bones

Flies !

I Jumped Bail

Star To Star