Background
James White was born in New York City to an Italian father and Irish/British mother. He grew up in a mixed neighborhood, but went to the public schools which were mostly African American, and gained the nickname White Jimmy there.
James White was born in New York City to an Italian father and Irish/British mother. He grew up in a mixed neighborhood, but went to the public schools which were mostly African American, and gained the nickname White Jimmy there.
He never took it as racist, and has used it as a moniker his entire life since then In the 1970s, he became a fan of proto punk band New York Dolls, and seminal punk band The Ramones, and began singing in a punk rock band. In 1978, he and Eddie Urland formed The Deadweights.
Throughout his time in The Deadweights" original run, he penned most of the lyrics and came up with some of the music
He became an alcoholic and also became addicted to heroin. By 1987, the band was constantly fighting, and Jimmy overdosed twice between the band"s breakup and his final stint in rehab in 1988.
In 1988, he gained the attention of Rick Rubin, head of Def American records, and signed with the label as a solo artist. He released his solo debut, Missing Mindstates, on June 6, 1989.
He had a hit on Modern Rock radio with the song "The Fallen One".
After touring for the album, he took a break from the music business. In 1991 he left Def American and signed with Special Security Team Records, an independent label, and began work on a second solo album. The album was produced by Spot, who produced The Deadweights" 1985 album Crisis.
The album, titled Try Trying Again, was released April 27, 1992.
The album found some success amongst the alternative rock explosion of Grunge. In 1994 a collection of B-sides and leftover tracks followed, Foundation in the Basement Corner.
In 1995, The Deadweights reunited, and he has continued to work with them. Since then, he has also produced for numerous artists.
They toured the United States in 2010 and released the album Guilty Parties on September 6, 2011.
White Jimmy has been a lifelong outspoken critic of American government, and has always been strongly opposed to many of its instillments. In 1985, he was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for statements on the album Crisis. He is currently against the War in Iraq, calling it "a senseless bloodbath in support of oil, greed, and retribution".
His last solo release, 2000"s Electric Schizoids Dream of Sleep, was a self released effort which included appearances from members of The Deadweights. In early 2010, White Jimmy announced he would be touring with the former members of the punk band Guantanamo as.