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About James Reams | Press Excerpts James’ powerful singing, guitar-playing and songwriting have caught the attention of reviewers and DJs. Singing: Bill Monroe biographer Richard D. Smith in Bluegrass Unlimited: "There are few vocalists as natural as Reams. He doesn't have to try to sound down-home, he's there at each turn in the song." Stephanie P. Ledgin in Sing Out: “Reams’ commanding voice takes the listener all the way back to Kentucky, with an unaffected Monroe-style quality that bends to capture the mood of each selection.” Jerry Paul, WJCP, IN, and former editor of Acoustica: "James is such an inspiration to watch. He truly feels his music, and sings from his very soul….If James is ever within your area, he is a ‘must see’ bluegrass icon." Donald Nitchie, in “The Callous Thumb” column in Banjo Newsletter: “His southern-tinged vocals sound as smoky as his heroes – Lester, Carter and Red. James and the Barnstormers play classic bluegrass.” Guitar playing: Flatpicking Guitar magazine chose James to profile in its Masters of Rhythm Guitar series of articles. Songwriting: John Lupton, Country Standard Time: “The originals, like ‘Buffalo Creek Flood’ and ‘The Cincinnati Southern,’ are story-telling songs in the classic country mold.” Stephanie Ledgin in Sing Out: “The authentic nature of both words and melody nail the style.” Barnstormin’, the band’s debut CD, released in 2001, contains 15 traditional and original bluegrass songs and tunes. Dirty Linen’s Jim Lee says Barnstormin’ is “sure to delight any bluegrass fan looking for something out of the mainstream.” And John Lupton, in Country Standard Time, writes, “This isn’t citified, ersatz bluegrass, it’s the real stuff….the music on this new Copper Creek disc features elements reminiscent of the sophisticated stylings of fellow Kentuckian Bill Monroe mixed with the old time, deep-hollow sound of the Stanley Brothers..…This is hard-core bluegrass from down home.” The CD was picked by WKCR as one of the top 12 of 2001. James Reams has played both old-time and bluegrass music since he was a child. There were traditional singers on both sides of his family. His hometown of London, Kentucky, honored him in 2004 for his contributions to the arts and sciences at its annual Laurel County Homecoming. James
also has a critically acclaimed old-time CD, The Mysterious Redbirds
1992-1998, which he recorded with New Lost City Ramblers founding
member Tom Paley and old-time fiddler Bill Christophersen. James’
earlier solo albums, Kentucky Songbird and The Blackest Crow, also
received excellent reviews. And he’s joined by legendary banjo
player Walter Hensley for his Copper Creek recording, James Reams,
Walter Hensley and the Barons of Bluegrass, released in 2003. This
is the Banjo Baron of Baltimore’s first recording in 25 years,
and his driving, inventive banjo playing is joined by James’
hard-charging rhythm guitar and soulful vocals. That album was nominated
by the IBMA as a 2003 Recorded Event of the Year and named by WKCR-FM
as one of the top 12 bluegrass CDs of 2003. James Reams & The
Barnstormers, released in early 2005, is Troubled Times, plus a
double-feature DVD entitled Rollin’ On / preview of Pioneers
of Bluegrass. The
Old School House at Lucketts (VA) Masters
of Rhythm Guitar Although he lives in Brooklyn, New York, old-time music is in James Reams' blood -- and it isn't from a "folk revival" inspired transfusion. He has called New York his home for the past twenty years; however he is perhaps one of the only northern enthusiasts who has vivid memories of sitting on a dirt-floored cabin in the heart of Appalachia and listening to his father and friends playing fiddle, banjo, and guitar music. Born on a farm in southeastern Kentucky, music has always been a part of James' life. His father's band played at square dances and other local social events and his mother and her sisters sang at family gatherings. James took up the guitar at the age of 12. He learned his first chords from his father and some of the neighbors who played music. His father's advice was, "Don't copy anybody. Have a style of your own." His first experiences playing in front of people were in church backing up gospel trios. The Mysterious Redbirds 1992-1998 (Copper Creek CD-0188) features James playing with New Lost City Rambler banjoist Tom Paley and fiddler Bill Christophersen. Regarding his rhythm guitar playing, James can offer us a unique perspective since he is equally fluent in both the old-time and bluegrass styles. While his work in old-time music requires him to fill all of the rhythmic roles of the band, James says that the bluegrass configuration is a bit different. His main focus in the bluegrass band is to provide the push or drive for the band. The August 2004 issue of Bluegrass Now had an article about James in its Offstage column. Click here to view article.
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Originally
from eastern Kentucky, James Reams has been in NYC since the
early 1980s, playing traditional bluegrass music with an old-time
edge. James Reams & The Barnstormers is a crowd-pleaser wherever they
go. The band gives exciting, soulful performances with powerful
three-part harmonies and “straight-up, no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners
bluegrass” (Steve Daugherty, WUWG, GA). Stephanie P. Ledgin
writes in her new book, Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (Praeger
Publishers, 2004): "A plentiful selection of younger, emerging
artists continues to grow in both traditional as well as progressive
bluegrass camps. James Reams & The Barnstormers rely on early
country material and originals written in authentic style. The results
are a virtual history of the music and its roots, played in a clean,
heartfelt manner that is somewhere between Monroe's and the Stanleys'." The
band has been nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association
(IBMA) for its Emerging Artist of the Year Award.
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