James Armstrong (musician): Difference between revisions

| imagename = James =Armstrong

| caption image =

| image_size caption =

| background image_size = solo_singer

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|4|22|mf=y}}

| birth_place = [[Los Angeles]]|Los Angeles, [[California]], [[United States]]U.S.

| death_date =

| origin =

| instrument = [[Guitar]], [[Human voice|vocals]]

| genre = [[Soul blues]], [[electric blues]]<ref name="AMG"/>

| occupation = [[Guitarist]], [[singing|singer]], [[songwriter]]

| years_active = 1980s&ndash;present

| label = [[HighTone Records|HighTone]]; Catfood Records

| associated_acts =

| website = [http://www.jarmblues.com/press.html Official website]

However, in April 1997, Armstrong was almost stabbed to death by an intruder at his home. The shoulder injury necessitated months of rehabilitation, which still left Armstrong with limited guitar playing ability in his left hand. He adjusted his playing style, hired a lead guitar player, and realised that playing [[slide guitar]] helped to slowly recover his dexterity. His second, introspective, album, ''[[Dark Night (album)|Dark Night]]'', was issued in 1998.<ref name="The Sun">{{cite news |url=http://mytown.mercurynews.com/archives/sunnyvalesun/03.07.01/armstrong-0110.html |title=The 'Dark Night' returns: Bluesman James Armstrong performs in Sunnyvale nearly four years after he and his son were almost killed |author= Hindin, Daniel |publisher=Mytown.mercurynews.com |accessdate=October 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718021252/http://mytown.mercurynews.com/archives/sunnyvalesun/03.07.01/armstrong-0110.html |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It incorporated [[Joe Louis Walker]] and [[Doug MacleodMacLeod (musician)|Doug MacleodMacLeod]] playing lead guitar on a couple of the songs.<ref name="AMG"/> The album track, "Bank of Love", was used in the films ''[[Hear No Evil (1993 film)|Hear No Evil]]'' and ''[[The Florentine]]''.<ref name="James">{{cite web |url=http://jarmblues.com/press.html |title=James Armstrong biography |author= |publisher=Jamblues.com |accessdate=October 29, 2010}}</ref>

Armstrong recommenced live performances on the blues festival circuit, with a noteworthy appearance at the 1999 Pocono Blues Festival in [[Pennsylvania]]. In early 2000, Armstrong returned to the [[recording studio]] to work on his next album, ''Got It Goin' On''. He was aided in the project by utilising Walker's [[rhythm section]], plus a guest appearance from the keyboardist Jim Pugh.<ref name="AMG"/> In 2001, Armstrong's song "Pennies and Picks" from ''Got It Goin' On'', earned him a [[Blues Music Award|W.C. Handy Award]] nomination for 'Song of the Year'. Armstrong himself was nominated for 'Contemporary Male Blues Guitarist of the Year'.<ref name="Search">{{cite web |url=http://www.bluessearchengine.com/bluesartists/a/jamesarmstrong.html |title=James Armstrong: Got It Goin' On |author= |publisher=Bluessearchengine.com |accessdate=October 29, 2010}}</ref> "2 Sides,", another song from ''Got It Goin' On'' was included in the film soundtrack for ''[[Speechless (1994 film)|Speechless]]''.<ref name="AMG"/>

In 2016 James, Armstrong started his own record label, Guitar Angels Records. The first release on his label, in May 2016, was the self-titletitled CD '' Mary Jo Curry'' from the [[Springfield, ILIllinois]] vocalist.

"If you define 'blues' by the rigid categories of structure rather than the flexible language of feeling allusion, Robert Cray... Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and James Armstrong are a new and uncategorizable breed, their music blues-like rather than blues, each of them blending ideas and devices from a variety of sources &ndash; soul, rock, jazz, gospel &ndash; with a sophisicationsophistication beyond the reach of their forerunners".<ref name="Russell">{{cite book

|''[[Dark Night (album)|Dark Night]]''

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110410223753/http://users.rcn.com/leclark/James%20Armstrong.html Armstrong photographs at Users.rcn.com]

[[Category:SlideAmerican slide guitarists]]