James Hunter Artist Bio

Hunter is a British blue-eyed soul singer whose smokey mellifluous voice has been compared to his influences like Sam Cooke, Georgie Fame and Jackie Wilson.

Hunter began his roots music career in the 1980s under the name Howlin’ Wilf. His later solo recordings feature rhythm and blues in the style of the 1950s and 60’s, pitched between R&B, early rock and roll, and early soul.

His 1994 solo debut, Believe What I Say, had guest appearances by Doris Troy and Van Morrison, and Hunter appeared on a couple of Morrisons’s mid-’90s albums, as well as performing as part of Morrison’s Rhythm and Blues Revue. Hunter, who jokingly refers to his career as an “overnight success that took 20 years”, is also a skilled guitarist, and writes most of the material on his albums, including his 2001 release, Kick It Around.

He released People Gonna Talk in 2006 which garnered him much acclaim and his first stateside recognition in year end top ten lists of major media outlets. His most recent album, The Hard Way, released in 2008, was recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London and includes a cameo from Allen Toussaint.

Hunter seems poised for additional career breakthroughs via increased exposure through television and radio, and distribution through Starbucks music label feeding a demand for other retro sounding artists like Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Adele, who too echo the classic soul sounds from the ’50s and 60s.

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