The Kingbees

Jamie James launched the Kingbees in 1979, bringing rockabilly back into view with a new wave twist comparable to the Stray Cats and the Polecats. Born in Toronto, Canada, he took up guitar at age thirteen. During the 1970s he relocated to London, England, issuing the single "Hello Little Girl." In 1973 he had already joined an R&B group in Detroit, Michigan. Toward the end of the decade James settled in Southern California and immersed himself in the regional rockabilly circuit. Together with bassist Michael Rummans and drummer Rex Roberts, he worked to restore the style's foothold on the pop charts. The band landed a contract with RSO, and their self-titled debut album arrived in 1980. Sales stayed flat until "My Mistake" topped the Detroit listings, becoming the first of two Kingbees singles to reach the Billboard charts; the other was "Shake Bop." They also contributed songs to the soundtrack of the 1980 film The Idolmaker. RSO folded at the exact moment the follow-up, The Big Rock, was released. James subsequently teamed with former Stray Cats members Lee Rocker and Slim Jim for recurring appearances at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California. He issued Cruel World in 1993 and Crossroads in 2000. Omnivore Records put out an expanded version of the Kingbees debut in 2015 and, the next year, delivered an upgraded edition of The Big Rock.