Wendy James
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Wendy James is a singer-songwriter, best known for her lead singer role in the late 1980s/ early 1990s pop band, Transvision Vamp. She is currently the singer in the band Racine.
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[edit] Early Life
James was adopted soon after birth, and left home at the age of sixteen, moving to the English seaside resort town of Brighton. Whilst there, she studied drama and English literature at college. After a year, she began singing in a nightclub, where she mainly sang Patti Smith cover songs. There she met Nick Christian Sayer. James and Sayer collaborated on songs (although Sayer was the principal songwriter). Eventually Sayer and James moved to London where they teamed up with friends Dave Parsons, Tex Axile and Pol Burton. The five formed the pop-punk band Transvision Vamp. James, as lead singer and focal point of the group attracted a great deal of media attention with her ironically-tensed sexually-charged and rebellious image.
[edit] Transvision Vamp
The band was signed by MCA and released a cover single of the Holly and the Italians song "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" in April 1988 . A month later the follow-up single "I Want Your Love", with its pop/punk crossover appeal, entered the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The band went on to release the hit album Pop Art in October. 1989 was the band's most successful year, with the number 3 hit single "Baby I Don't Care" and hit album Velveteen which entered the charts at No.1 and was a hit worldwide. Their Top Ten hits were "I Want Your Love" (UK No.5), "Baby I Don't Care" (UK No.3)
The bands third album, entitled Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble, was a daring departure from the pop/punk songs of their previous two albums. Little Magnets mixed New Wave and 60's sounds and also included in a Bob Dylan cover track and an influence of Dr. John. The bands record company MCA, were rumoured to have been unhappy with this new, less radio friendly sound. Although the album went on to be their most successful in the US.
Transvision Vamp released three albums in total before disbanding in 1993.
[edit] Solo career
When the decision had been made for Transvision Vamp to split Wendy wrote a letter to Elvis Costello, asking for guidance and in response Costello recorded a full album's worth of material for her. These songs became the tracks on her solo album entitled Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears (1993).
[edit] Racine
In her time away from the music business, James moved from England to New York. In 2004 she returned to the music business as the singer, songwriter and producer of the band Racine.[1]
Band members are Henric Strahl, James Meynell and Ray Sullivan.
Following the release of their first album Racine No. 1, which was released on One Little Indian and Rough Trade Records in September 2006, the band played venues around the UK and in New York.
Racine's second album, titled Racine 2, initially released exclusively on iTunes was released on Jungle Records March 03rd 2008.
The band toured Europe in Spring 2007 playing Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Dublin and Madrid; and toured again in July 2007.
Wendy James and Racine have an extensive European tour planned for March & April 2008. For promoting it, she partnered up with emerging underground artist Elena Gallen to release Wendy James' Official T-Shirt. A creative partnership between the Singer and the Artist to promote the worldwide 2008 gigs.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ ilikemusic.com, -. Wendy James Racine interview February 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ Elena Gallen artist store, -. Official Wendy James T-Shirt. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
