TONY JAMES

Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Producer I was told when I was a kid that I had a big imagination. I was always lost in my daydreams as a kid. I have always loved music since I can remember. Growing up in the mid 70’s I listened to a lot of A.M. radio At age 11 I began making up songs. I was mostly into pop music until my later teens when I got more interested into Funk and R&B. Funk music of the mid 80’s is what changed my musical direction. After graduating hi school music was my main goal. I wanted to eat, drink and sleep music (which meant read, write and play) so I took lessons. Originally, I started on Guitar then switched to Piano which led to Keyboards and Synths because I didn’t like the sound of just an acoustic piano. Around 1987 I began recording in studios spending hours and hours and tons of money on unfinished song ideas until someone suggested I buy my own equipment which I eventually did. Back then I had a 4 Track Tascam recorder, a portable Piano, a small Casio sampler Keyboard and a drum machine to write songs with. I started saving money to upgrade my studio from 4 tracks to 8 tracks. I also bought a new keyboard a new drum machine and some effects gear. It wasn’t long till some of the locals artists got word of me and my equipment and began begging me to come to their houses. I became the mobile studio guy packing up all my equipment into my car and going to other people’s homes where I would set up in someone’s garage, kitchen and dining room and work into the late-night hours. I would usually end up working all the equipment, programming the drum machine and playing the keyboards. It was a great time in the early 90’s because for me it was all about the music. It was also A boost to my ego being the person who was so in demand. Today I still have most of my old equipment (some of which doesn’t work anymore) I still have all my demo cassette recordings and DATs. The oldest of my recordings is a dance song recorded around 1989 and meant for a female lead. I also have a song featuring me playing Bass guitar (or at least trying to play) I was against going digital at first. I thought digital ruined the recording process because it made it too easy. That all changed when I got my hands on a demo version of some recording software and liked the way it was all laid out on the computer screen. When my 8-track recorder no longer worked I began recording with digital software. Now I have fully embraced it. I have also recorded songs on my ipad that i plan to use.

Queens County, NY