Jony James is overflowing with soul. It drips down from his hands onto his guitar, in lyrically urgent bends and intense ethereal assaults. It pours out through his weathered, leathery voice, telling vivid, open-minded tales of a tumultuous life, with his impressive song writing skills. His jovial, yet pensive nature is evident in both his music and stage presence. He is often compared to Stevie Ray Vaughn, however, his persistance on being "Jony" and playing Jony James', original "Survival Blues", sets him apart from the rest of the Blues Shows currently on the circuit.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Jony was raised in Chicago, which was full of Blues, Motown and Soul influences. B.B. King, Albert King, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix, were among those influences and are evident in his playing.
By the age of 17, Jony was playing Blues Clubs on the south side of Chicago, with local Blues legends such as Eddie Taylor, Willie Williams and J B Hutto, among others. After touring with Hutto and chasing Hendrix to Europe, Jony settled in Canada, playing with the Native American "Roadhouse Band from Six Nations" and finally the Matt Minglewood Band from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
In the 90's, Jony returned to his birthplace, (Buffalo, NY) and began playing and writing his own material as well as being the front-man for the Jony James Blues Band, playing "Survival Blues".
After 9 years and over 225 shows a year, the band is still together and is incredibly tight. Jony is joined at the hip by the explosive, Buffalo-born and raised, rhythm section of bassist, Rod Horning and Kent "Boom Boom" Leech, on the drums.
Horning, who has toured with Chris Beard, lays down expressive low lines from his five string bass and serves as a mighty anchor. Boom Boom pulverizes the skins with precise power and flooring force that would make you think you're hearing two bass drums. He grew up with Lucky Peterson and played with both Lucky and James Peterson.
After independently producing and releasing three CD's of original music, Blue Wave Records signed Jony.
The first Blue Wave CD, "In This World", was released internationally and rose to 5 album of the year in "The Detroit Metro Times". It was a tremendous success and catapulted the band into national recognition.
The second Blue Wave release titled, "What About Tomorrow", is currently available and has got some heavyweights in the Blues Industry very excited. To experience original "Survival Blues", you must listen to the Jony James Blues Band.
The band is available to play for Festivals and venues across the country.
