IVOR JAMES - THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC
Ivor was born in Derby in July 1943. He was born into
a world of music. His mother sang and played the piano in local pubs and clubs,
and his two great uncles had a Hillbilly band – possibly one of the first such
outfits in England (about 1947 to 1953)
When Ivor’s dad left the RAF in 1946, he
became a lorry driver, and would often take Ivor with him in the cab of his
Bedford tipper truck. They would stop at transport cafes, and Ivor has very
clear memories of hearing Country Music coming from the jukeboxes, particularly
Hank’s “Lovesick Blues”. He’d never heard anyone yodel before!
Ivor
attended the Rykneld Secondary Modern school from 1954 to 1958. There was a very
good music master there – Mr. Johnson. This was, of course, the era of the
great Rock ‘n’ Roll and Skiffle boom. Mr Johnson freely admitted that he
couldn’t stand such a racket, but he also realised that if he encouraged the
boys to form Skiffle groups, they may become interested in learning and enjoying
other forms of music – how right he was!
It
was with Mr Johnson’s encouragement that The Four Diamonds Skiffle Group was
formed, with Ivor on lead vocals and rhythm guitar (having graduated from the
ukelele!) Arthur Chadwick on the lead electric guitar, Chris Timson graduating
from the tea chest to a full sized “stand up” bass and Dave Turner on
percussion. This outfit grew and developed over about the next ten years,
covering almost every musical genre and lasting well into the “swinging
60s”! For several years, they travelled around in Chris’s father’s
builder’s van, loading the instruments and themselves in between the piles of
bricks and bags of sand and cement! As they all learned to drive around the age
of 18, life on the road became a little more comfortable. In those days, there
were often Country Music records in the “Pop” charts, and as the lads tried
to cover most of the top ten they often found themselves playing songs by the
likes of Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins and Carl Perkins.
Ivor
began a 31 year career in Psychiatric Nursing in 1962. Shift work and night duty
did not mix well with the gigs, and Ivor decided to leave the band, with great
regret. The four lads (who more latterly were known as “The Couriers”)
remained friends for life, and these friendships endure to this day, although
Chris sadly passed away in July 2014.
As
Ivor progressed through his chosen profession, he moved around the country with
his young family. Ever in need of a bit of spare cash, he joined or formed
several bands over the years in various parts of England. He always included a
good proportion of Country songs in the mix.
The
last time Ivor played with a band however would have been about the middle of
the 1980s. For a couple of years, he was relatively unconnected to the music
business, but one Christmas Eve, he was persuaded to take his guitar to a
neighbour’s Christmas party. A landlord from a local pub heard Ivor sing and
persuaded him (with great difficulty!) to sing in the pub on Boxing Night. Ivor
had never, until this night, performed in public without a backing band, but the
gig went so well (to Ivor’s complete amazement!) that he was engaged to appear
at that pub every other Sunday night for about two years!
As
he became more well known in the local area, he again tried to cover the popular
music of the day, but he increasingly found that he was less enamoured by the
music from the “Pop” charts and more and more drawn towards Country Music.
Ivor
was still climbing the career ladder in the NHS, and he found that as he
continued to move from one area to another he could take his act with him. It
was when he was living and working in South Wales that Ivor acquired his present
stage name at the suggestion of his booking agent.
It
was also around that time that Ivor decided to try his hand at songwriting. He
had been dismayed by the hurried way in which the old Victorian mental hospitals
had been closed down, often to the detriment of their unfortunate residents. He
wrote his “protest” song – “Ding Dong Dolly” as a result, and this
song is still often requested by Ivor’s audiences. Similarly, the sudden
appearance in one audience of a very tall man in a white rhinestone suit and a
set of silver six guns inspired “Saturday Night Cowboy” – another song
often requested, particularly by the Westerners.
Never
one to shirk a musical challenge, Ivor continues to cover many of the latest
Country songs in his act alongside all of the old favourites, and is happy to
play for Line Dancers, Listeners or a mixed audience. Although he does try to
use the best quality backing tracks, he often finds that tracks for various
songs are not available, and he enjoys creating his own tracks in his home
studio.
Ivor
has served a VERY long apprenticeship, and although he has now waited for around
60 years to become an overnight success, (!) his increasingly full diary bears
testimony to his wide appeal in the Country Music market!