James Low

Hailing from Portland, singer-songwriter James Low crafts evocative and frequently introspective tales that fuse country and pop sensibilities, echoing the approach of near-contemporaries such as Richard Buckner while clearly reflecting the legacy of revered figures like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. His first album, Mexiquita, appeared in 2000. Raised in the Eastern Oregon timber community of John Day, Low comes from a musical lineage: his grandfather composed show tunes and his father wrote folk songs. He first performed publicly as a student at the now-closed Quaker-affiliated Friends World College in New York City, where he studied music theory with Ann Ruckert, earlier mentor to Suzanne Vega and Victoria Williams—an influence Low himself has noted. Returning to Oregon in 1995 intending to abandon music for journalism studies, he instead found the change reignited his creativity and spent roughly a year refining new material. An encounter with Portland songwriter Nancy Hess proved decisive, leading her to produce his 2000 debut and connect him with the musicians who would form his band. After spending about a year polishing songs with his five-piece group at the Laurelthirst Pub, regarded as a central hub for Portland’s Americana community, Low issued his second album, the more fully realized Blackheart. Hess returned as producer, sharing duties with Matt Bodreau.