James King

Longview goes deep again (Apr 2008)

At the time of their 1997 self-titled debut on Rounder, Longview quickly came to be regarded by many as the first bluegrass "supergroup," a coalition of six of the leading lights of the contemporary bluegrass scene. The project was successful enough to spawn two follow-ups, "High Lonesome" (1999, also on Rounder) and "Lessons In Stone" (2002, on Rebel). Now back with Rounder after a six-year hiatus, they return with "Deep In The Mountains," yet another throwback to the "stacked" three-part harmony drawn straight from the era before the term "bluegrass" came into widespread use to describe the genre.  ...

James King becomes the bluegrass storyteller (Mar 2005)

When a song moves bluegrass singer James King to tears he knows that it's time to head back into the studio. And, that's exactly what he did recently to record his latest disc, "The Bluegrass Storyteller." After a dozen years singing sorrowful songs, the high and lonesome baritone clearly knows when the time is right to make some more music. Driving through Chicago, on the way to Hayward, Wisc. for a string of 3 dates at a casino, the 46-year-old emotive storyteller talks about his influences, what makes a good story and his new album - recently released on Rounder Records.  ...

James King takes the long view (Mar 2002)

"That song hits home," says bluegrass stalwart James King, 43, as he talks about "Thirty Years Of Farming," the title track from the newest release - his fourth - on Rounder Records. While "Thirty Years Of Farming" is a trademark King treatment of a song that tells a sad story, the Virginia native and resident is anything but downbeat about his career and about the business of bluegrass. King is also celebrating the recent release on Rebel of the third Longview release, "Lessons In Stone,"  ...

James King: stands tall (Jan 1999)

Jaames King isn't a tall man, but with the recent release of "Bed By The Window" and the forthcoming release of a second album by Longview, the "supergroup" with which he sings, he is a man with a high profile in bluegrass. "It's unreal," the Virginia native says backstage at the Mountain Arts Center (MAC) in Prestonsburg, Ky. recently. "I don't mean to boast, but we really seem to have a hit. When the album came out, and I actually held it in my hands, I looked at (producer/Rounder Records partner) Ken Irwin, and said, 'well, what do you think?' He said, 'it's mighty strong; we'll know how it does in a few months.'"  ...