James McMurtry | Artist
James McMurtry is an American rock and folk rock/americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor, born 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas. With his father Larry being one of America's most celebrated novelists, and his mother an English Professor, James himself unsurprisingly has became a master storyteller who relates his tales in verse and music. Part of the Texas singer/songwriter community, McMurtry has a gift for character studies, and insightful political commentary on how the choices of the powerful impact the lives of ordinary people. Starting out, after several years of makeshift jobs, McMurtry's career kicked off In 1987 when he entered the Kerrville Folk Festival songwriter contest and was one of six winners that year. Also around this time John Mellencamp was starring in a film based on a script by Larry McMurtry, which gave James the opportunity to send Mellencamp a demo tape. Mellencamp subsequently served as co-producer on McMurtry's 1989 debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland. McMurtry also appeared on the soundtrack of the film Falling From Grace, working with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely and Dwight Yoakam in a supergroup called Buzzin' Cousins. With his debut album drawing positive comparisons with other Texan greats like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Jerry Jeff Walker, McMurtry had made his mark, and went on to release a string of consistently excellent albums to the present day. Standouts include Long in the Wasteland (1989), Where'd You Hide the Body (1995), It Had to Happen (1997), Saint Mary of the Woods (2002), Childish Things (2005), Just us Kids (2008), Complicated Game (2015) and The Horses and the Hounds (2021). McMurtry is also an occasional actor, having appeared in the movies Daisy Miller and Lonesome Dove. He also performs regularly with veteran bandmates Daren Hess, Cornbread and Tim Holt under the name James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards. The artist's website notes "whenever James is not on the road, you can find him at the Continental Club (Austin, Texas) 10pm Tuesdays, and the Continental Club Gallery (solo) on 8.30 Wednesdays".
Artist Website: jamesmcmurtry.com
Featured Albums: James McMurtry
Related Artists: John Mellencamp
