Shawn James (musician)

Shawn James (born in Chicago, United States[1]) is an American blues, folk & soul musician, known for his solo work and performing with his band The Shapeshifters.

Shawn James
BornSeptember 23, 1986
Chicago
GenresBlues, Folk
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals, harmonica
Years active2012–present
LabelsRaleigh Music Group, Parts + Labor Records
Associated actsShawn James & The Shapeshifters
Websitehttp://www.shawnjamesmusic.com/

Early life

Shawn James was born in 1986 in Chicago. As a child, he attended local Pentecostal church, singing in the church choir. He also took orchestra and voice lessons in high school.[2]

Career

Shawn James started his career working in music studios as a sound engineer. In 2012, he and his wife Michelle moved from Nashville, Tennessee to Fayetteville, Arkansas to pursue a career in music industry full time. In the beginning, Shawn James was busking around downtown Fayetteville. From there, he started playing in local venues and recording his own songs in a bedroom studio.[2]

The same year he also released his first self-published album Shadows. In 2013, he formed a band called Shawn James & The Shapeshifters with local musicians. After that he has released three more solo albums, a live album, and three albums with The Shapeshifters. He also runs his own recording company Shawn James Music.

In 2016, James' song "Through The Valley" made it into "The Last Of Us Part II's" trailer. The game was released on June 19th 2020.

Viral success

The first time Shawn James' music went viral was when his performance of A. A. Bondy's American Hearts, filmed in a wolf sanctuary in Colorado, was posted on Reddit.[3] From then on, his music has been used as a theme for Discovery Channel's "Yukon Men",[4] and featured in CBS's "Reckless"[5] and Showtime's "Shameless."[6] He gained prominence when Sony PlayStation featured the song 'Through the Valley' from his first album Shadows in the trailer for their game The Last of Us Part II.[7][8] This exposure generated over 3 million plays on Spotify, topping the Spotify viral chart in the United Kingdom.[9] After this James has landed a publishing deal with Raleigh Music Group.[10] In 2018, he signed to Parts + Labor Records.[11]


Discography

Solo albums
  • Shadows (2012)
  • Deliverance (2014)
  • On the Shoulders of Giants (2016)
  • Live at the Heartbreak House (2018)
  • The Dark & The Light (2019)

With The Shapeshifters
  • The Wolf (2013)
  • The Bear (2013)
  • The Hawk (2014)
  • The Covers (2014)
  • The Gospel According To Shawn James & The Shapeshifters (2017)[12]

References
  1. "Shawn James solo bio". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  2. Hall, Mary (April 12, 2017). "Passionate, raw sound brings Bourbonnais musician national recognition". The Daily Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  3. Bartholomew, Dustin (October 28, 2015). "Video of local musician Shawn James singing in a wolf sanctuary goes viral". Fayetteville Flyer. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  4. "Shawn James". IMDb. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  5. "Music by Shawn James". Tunefind. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  6. "Shameless" Love Songs (In the Key of Gallagher) (TV Episode 2015), retrieved July 26, 2018
  7. Imms, Jason (December 7, 2016). "The Last of Us Part 2 Trailer Track Reaches No. 1 on UK Spotify Viral 50 Chart". GameSpot. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  8. Kain, Erik. "What 'The Last of Us 2' Reveal Trailer Tells Us About Naughty Dog's New Game". Forbes. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  9. "Spotify's Top 10 most viral tracks". Fox News Business. December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  10. "Raleigh Music – Shawn James". raleighmusicgroup.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  11. "Singer/Songwriter Shawn James Signs to Parts + Labor Records". Parts + Labor Records. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  12. "Shawn James". AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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