Critically-acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Susan James’ versatile voice and virtuosic guitar work engage her fans on disc and onstage, as she has toured internationally as a solo act with artists including Lindsey Buckingham, Bob Weir, Ratdog, and Richard Buckner, as well as opening for artists such as Son Volt, Rufus Wainright, Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Daniel Lanois and others.

This California native picked up the guitar at eight years old and never looked back, eventually earning a UCLA ethnomusicology degree. Her recording career was jumpstarted in the late ‘90s when a legendary Apple Computer founder heard her playing a Bay Area coffeehouse and handed her a paper bag of cash to finance her first album, Life Between Two Worlds .

James was joined on her second CD, Shocking Pink Banana Seat by D.J. Bonebrake (X) on drums and Abby Travis on bass. Seeing her live show led Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman to invite James on the road, opening for Ratdog. She was hand-picked by Lindsay Buckingham as the opening act for his US tour. She also had the honor of opening for such acts as Richard Thompson, Daniel Lanois, Billy Bragg, Jim Carroll, and Rufus Wainright, among others. Musician friends like Tommy Stinson (Replacements) and the Wondermints are heard on her third release, the ambitious double-CD set Fantastic Voyage. Disc 1 allowed her multi-octave voice to soar, while her inventive tunings and fretwork are highlighted on the all-instrumental Disc 2. The CD set received much critical praise and led to tours in Europe and Canada.
James then met and moved to London to join her husband, sound engineer/producer Fulton Dingley, renown for his work with Stereolab and the High Llamas. After taking time off in the UK to become a mom, Susan relocated with her family to a canyon in LA, where her lifestyle has certainly inspired the tone of her newest release,
Highways, Ghosts, Hearts and Home
(Release Date: Feb. 2011)
A quote from the Los Angeles Times:

“In her 45-minute opening set, James shows that she is already a master at exploring the emotional and sonic possibilities of the minimalist format of voice and acoustic guitar …James long blond hair and folk-based songs have caused her to be compared to Joni Mitchell. The inventiveness of her eightsong set, however, showed that James is perhaps most like Mitchell because she is like no one else.” – Noel Davis, Los Angeles Times

“The first disc of “Fantastic Voyage”, dubbed ‘Lovesick’ lives up to its billing with a series of heart-torn songs that are clever, defiant, amusing and poignant by turns…James, certainly isnt one to mince words when addressing a lovers betrayal, yet shes too gifted a lyricist to settle for venting her anger with a mindless rant.” – Washington Post

So how does James sum herself up?

“I’m still someone who loves a well-written song, but also loves experimenting and pushing the boundaries, she says. I’m still searching as an artist and musician and will probably continue to do so until the day I die.”