Jason James

Texas City, Texas, native and singer-songwriter Jason James encountered country music only after his youth, even though the sounds had surrounded him from the start. Picking up guitar as a teenager, he spent his twenties performing with punk and alt-rock groups before an affinity for classic country and honky-tonk took hold. Drawing inspiration from Hank Williams and George Jones, he began crafting original country songs, formed a band, and started performing at open-mike nights throughout Texas. Alt-country/Americana label New West eventually signed him and matched him with producer John Evans plus a roster of experienced Texas session players. The early recordings proved strong enough that New West dispatched him to Nashville to finish the project with Keith Gattis (Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam). His self-titled debut appeared in the summer of 2015 and carries a polished, unmistakably retro character reminiscent of contemporaries such as Sturgill Simpson and New West labelmate Robert Ellis.