MORE INFO
For those who want to know more. More info collected from interviews, articles and official biographies. Last update: 10/05/09
Facts
name: James Morrison Catchpole
date of birth: August 13, 1984 (25)
place of birth: Rugby Warwickshire, UK
residence: -, East Sussex, UK
family: parents, elder sister, younger brother, girlfriend, daughter
Life
early life: got infected with whooping cough by his sister as a newborn; stopped breathing and technically died a few times; whooping cough left him with a husky voice
childhood: very close to siblings; parents separated when he was four; raised by his mother; grew up in Porth, Cornwall; started busking at age 13
relationship: met longterm girlfriend (current) at age 16; moved to Derby together; moved to London after getting a record deal; currently living in East Sussex, UK; daughter born in 2008
previous jobs: postman, chambermaid, van washer, carpet fitter, painter, decorater, a.o.t.
Career
beginnings: bumped into local guitarist Kevin Andrews a week after being fired from vehicle hire; got invited to make demo cd, which got into the hands of David Gray’s former A&R man
record labels: meetings with big record companies followed, no deal was signed yet; spent following year writing songs
gigs: played gigs every now and then; played at the Summer Sundae Festival in 2004, one of the first shows playing own songs
record deal: signed a major record deal in March, 2005
movie: got offered a role in a Hollywood movie about musicians, but turned offer down
cancelations: was booked to play at a few festivals in Summer 2008 after being away for nearly a year, but had to cancel due to recording commitments for second album
Music
record label: Polydor, Interscope (US) (major)
management: Connected Artists Ltd, Bill Silva Entertainment (US)
awards: IFPI Platinum Europe Award (level 2), Best British Male Solo Artist 2007 (Brit Award), Best International Male 2009 (Meteor Music Award)
previous band: Nikolaj Torp Larsen (keyboards, harmonica, backing vocals), Nikolaj Juel Christiansen (guitar, backing vocals), Bastian Juel Christiansen/Jakob Falgren (bass, backing vocals) and Kristoffer Sonne (drums, backing vocals) from Spring 2006 till Fall 2007.
current band: Richard Cardwell (first keyboards), Richard Milner (second keyboards), Marc Arciero (bass), Matt White (guitar), Neal Wilkinson (drums), Beverlei Brown and Lauraine McIntosh (backing vocals) since Fall 2008
artists toured with: Corinne Bailey-Rae, John Mayer, Adele as opening act; Karima Francis, Newton Faulkner, Sam Beeton, Jessie Baylin, Martin Harley Band, Erin McCarley, Diane Birch, Vagabond as headliner
guitars: Gibson Hummingbird, L350 Australian Blackwood/Spruce
early songwriting: ‘There’s Nothing Nobody Can Do To Stop Me From Loving You The Way That I Do’ at age 14
comparisons: music of Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Otis Redding
Trivia
school: went to Treviglas College ,was frontman of schoolband Peppermint Slug, failed A-level music exams (ungraded)
likes: anything sweet (especially chocolat), whiskey
other: wrote a special note in Undiscovered album sleeve to Lydia, a close friend lost to leukaemia; got rejected for Fame Academy
