John Allen James

You can expect me to play my tail off. I don't drink or use drugs so I don't get sloppy halfway through the set. My show is about two-thirds original songs, though people often think they're covers of songs by more famous artists. I continue to learn new covers and the ones I already play integrate well with the originals. Most songs are mid-tempo and seem to relax people. "I just wanted to tell you that I had a really crappy day at work today," one woman told me after a gig. "And listening to you made me feel better."

"If I got a dollar every time someone compared me to Bob Dylan," quips John Allen James, "I wouldn't have to play gigs." Of any similarites to the folk legend, "I don't see it," he says, "but everyone means it kindly, so I have learned not to argue."

John never intended to sound like anyone else. Unlike most musicians, who cut their teeth on songs of others, he wrote and recorded two albums of his own music before he learned his first cover song.

The muscular poet does mean to write songs with heart and brains. One critic described his 2016 album Harder Roads as "timeless, enduring, yet also current and relevant." American Songwriter Magazine chose John and his song "Light of Day" for its Daily Discovery feature.

John played all the instruments except for drums and did all the production on his first two albums before enlisting the help of studio musicians for his 2018 release, Fire Sky. The songs begin with John and his acoustic guitar, "ripping myslf open and writing the devils down," and fans see that intimacy in live shows. John plays solo, where "I stand in front of strangers and set my soul to sound."

John has made a living for much of his adult life writing and speaking into microphones as a broadcast journalist. Once an Emmy-nominated TV news and sports anchor, he still anchors news part time for a Tampa, FL radio station.

A three-prong electrical outlet within 15 feet of where I will play is the only requirement. I can play under stage lights of pretty much any kind. Strobes or other rapidly flashing lights can cause distractions, but I can close my eyes and play through them if necessary.