Biography
Susan James works as a vocalist, composer, and guitarist whose independent recordings stand out for their singular character and lasting resonance. Drawing from California pop of the 1960s and 1970s in her home state, the work has drawn comparisons to Joni Mitchell and secured opening slots on tours with figures ranging from Richard Thompson to Rufus Wainwright and Stereolab. Her first solo release, Life Between Two Worlds, appeared in 1990; it was followed by Shocking Pink Banana Seat in 1996, which included X’s D.J. Bonebrake on drums. The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson played on 1998’s Fantastic Voyage, an album divided between vocal tracks and guitar-centered instrumentals. After an extended pause she issued the Americana-leaning Highway, Ghost, Hearts & Home in 2010, featuring contributions from members of Punch Brothers and Social Distortion. Her sixth album, Sea Glass, arrived in 2015 and moved further into psychedelic and Baroque layers under the guidance of the High Llamas’ Sean O’Hagan, departing from her earlier refined folk-rock and country-rock approach. She resumed recording after another lengthy interval with the comparably exploratory Time Is Now in 2024.
Raised in Pasadena, Susan Elizabeth James began playing guitar at eight. She later pursued ethnomusicology at UCLA, where her interest in songwriting deepened enough that she started capturing her own material and joined the Daniel Lentz Group as a central participant. While still enrolled she issued her debut, the folk-rock-oriented Life Between Two Worlds, in 1990. Los Angeles radio embraced the record, and local performances at venues such as Largo opened the door to national touring. In subsequent years she supported Rufus Wainwright, Daniel Lanois, Lindsay Buckingham, and Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, who later invited her onto tours with RatDog and Weir/Wasserman.
James formed her own imprint, Major Label Records, to release her second album, Shocking Pink Banana Seat, in 1996. Travis Dickerson engineered and co-produced the set, which again spotlighted Los Angeles punk legend D.J. Bonebrake on drums. Her third outing, Fantastic Voyage, came out in 1998 as a double album split into the song section “Lovesick” and the instrumental section “Stranger Bedfellows.” More than a dozen guests appeared, among them the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson and producer/engineer John Wood (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake), who supplied lap steel as well as technical expertise.
A full decade passed before she offered new recordings with the self-produced Highway, Ghost, Hearts & Home, issued in early 2010. While some tracks leaned Americana, the collection remained stylistically broad, its ensemble including Punch Brothers fiddler Gabe Witcher, Social Distortion keyboardist Danny McGough, and Strawberry Alarm Clock bassist Paul Marshall. Returning to the studio with longtime Tom Petty producer/engineer Ryan Ulyate, she delivered the more somber Driving Toward the Sun in early 2013, featuring guitarists Neal Casal and Eric Heywood alongside drummer Don Heffington. Sea Glass marked a pronounced sonic turn toward expansive psychedelic and orchestral textures; produced by the High Llamas’ Sean O’Hagan, the album surfaced in June 2015. A vinyl edition with bonus tracks followed on Sunstone Records in mid-2019. While preparing her seventh album, Time Is Now, released in June 2024, James toured in support of Stereolab and a solo Laetitia Sadier.
Raised in Pasadena, Susan Elizabeth James began playing guitar at eight. She later pursued ethnomusicology at UCLA, where her interest in songwriting deepened enough that she started capturing her own material and joined the Daniel Lentz Group as a central participant. While still enrolled she issued her debut, the folk-rock-oriented Life Between Two Worlds, in 1990. Los Angeles radio embraced the record, and local performances at venues such as Largo opened the door to national touring. In subsequent years she supported Rufus Wainwright, Daniel Lanois, Lindsay Buckingham, and Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, who later invited her onto tours with RatDog and Weir/Wasserman.
James formed her own imprint, Major Label Records, to release her second album, Shocking Pink Banana Seat, in 1996. Travis Dickerson engineered and co-produced the set, which again spotlighted Los Angeles punk legend D.J. Bonebrake on drums. Her third outing, Fantastic Voyage, came out in 1998 as a double album split into the song section “Lovesick” and the instrumental section “Stranger Bedfellows.” More than a dozen guests appeared, among them the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson and producer/engineer John Wood (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake), who supplied lap steel as well as technical expertise.
A full decade passed before she offered new recordings with the self-produced Highway, Ghost, Hearts & Home, issued in early 2010. While some tracks leaned Americana, the collection remained stylistically broad, its ensemble including Punch Brothers fiddler Gabe Witcher, Social Distortion keyboardist Danny McGough, and Strawberry Alarm Clock bassist Paul Marshall. Returning to the studio with longtime Tom Petty producer/engineer Ryan Ulyate, she delivered the more somber Driving Toward the Sun in early 2013, featuring guitarists Neal Casal and Eric Heywood alongside drummer Don Heffington. Sea Glass marked a pronounced sonic turn toward expansive psychedelic and orchestral textures; produced by the High Llamas’ Sean O’Hagan, the album surfaced in June 2015. A vinyl edition with bonus tracks followed on Sunstone Records in mid-2019. While preparing her seventh album, Time Is Now, released in June 2024, James toured in support of Stereolab and a solo Laetitia Sadier.
Singles
