Career
After leaving the band, he left Britain and, since 1988, lives in San Francisco where he is currently dedicated to writing. Early years & Fàshiön Music
Brought up in Birmingham, England, James, along with bassist/keyboardist John Mulligan and drummer Dik Davis, formed the band Fàshiön Music in 1978 and created their own "Fàshiön Music" label. They released their first three singles, Steady Eddie Steady, Citinite, and The Innocent, on lieutenant
Later signed to I.R.S. Records, they released their Product Perfect album in 1979.
During those days, they formed part of the local Birmingham punk and new wave scene along with Duran Duran (who opened some of their gigs), UB40, Steel Pulse, and others, touring also with The Police, John Cooper Clarke, Squeeze, B52s, and U2. In June 1980, after the release of the Silver Blades single and a gig in London with U2, James departed and moved to the United States of America. Mulligan and Dik revived the band simply as Fashion in 1981 with another singer and guitarist, and their style became more synthpop and new romantic, causing them to become more commercially successful.
The band, The Photos, wrote and released a song in reference to him, called "Luke Come Back". Travelling the world, San Francisco and writer
He travelled and lived in Bordeaux, London, Los Angeles, and Charlottesville, Virginia.
During those travels, he worked as a train washer, a restaurant crooner, a night watchman on a car ferry, a street singer, a barman, and an antiques restorer.
In 1988, he arrived in San Francisco, California, where he still lives. In 2002, he played blues with a band called Wild Dogs. Current life
He now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, is married with two children.
In addition to writing and recording new Fàshiön-style material, he is also working on an acoustic recording project and studying Flamenco guitar.
He supports Amnesty International, NRDC, and Doctors Without Borders.
