James Reams & The Barnstormers

James Reams sounds "as smoky as his heroes: Lester, Carter, and Red."

~ Banjo Newsletter  Coming  from  a  family  of  traditional  singers  in  southeastern  Kentucky,  James  Reams  has  played  both  old-­‐time  and  bluegrass  music  since  he  was  just  a  little  sprout.  There  were  traditional  singers  on  both  sides  of  his  family,  and  his  father  played  in  a  string  band.  James  migrated  north  in  his  mid-­‐teens  when  his  family  moved  to  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  where  he  stayed  until  he  moved  to  Brooklyn,  New  York  in  the  early  1980s.  In  1982  James  arrived  at  New  York's  Port  Authority  Bus  Terminal,  carrying  two  cardboard  boxes  and  two  pairs  of  work  shoes...looking  for  a  better  life,  having  left  behind  a  dead-­‐end  job  in  an  agricultural  supply  store  in  Wisconsin.  At  first,  in  his  scramble  to  survive,  he  didn't  play  much  

music.  But  when  he  did,  those  who  heard  his  authentic  Kentucky  mountain  sound  encouraged  him  to  play  more.      Before  long,  he  started  producing  albums  beginning  with  his  first  release  "Kentucky  Songbird"  in  1994,  followed  by  "The  Blackest  Crow"  and  "The  Mysterious  Redbirds"  in  2000.  He  formed  the  Barnstormers  in  1993  and  released  the  first  James  Reams  &  The  Barmstormers  CD  "Barnstormin'"  in  2001.  Teaming  up  with  reknowned  banjo  player,    the  late  Walter  Hensley,  resulted  in  the  release  of  "James  Reams,  Walter  Hensley  &  the  Barons  of  Bluegrass"  in  2002,  an  album  that  received  an  IBMA  nomination  for  Recording  Event  of  the  Year  and  earned  James  an  IBMA  nomination  as  Emerging  Artist  of  the  Year.    In  2005,  James  Reams  &  The  Barnstormers  cut  loose  with  the  CD  "Troubled  Times"  which  included  a  feature  length  documentary  of  the  band  entitled  "Rollin  On"  and  a  preview  of  the  DVD  documentary  "Pioneers  of  Bluegrass"  that  was  released  in  2013.    When  asked  by  Bluegrass  Today  (January  4,  2014)  what  his  favorite  all  time  bluegrass  project  was,  Donald  Teplyske  (international  music  critic  and  reviewer)  responded,  “If  I  could  only  listen  to  one  album  I  guess  I  would  choose  James  Reams  &  The  Barnstormers  ‘Troubled  Times’.”    Combining  talents  with  Walter  Hensley  again  in  2006  produced  the  album  "Wild  Card",  that  had  reviewers  singing  James'  praise.  "This  new  recording  features  songs  old  and  new,  borrowed  and  definitely  bluegrass.  James  Reams  has  a  deep  baritone  voice  that  wraps  itself  around  the  emotion  of  a  song  and  won’t  let  go."  ~  B.  Hough  of  CBA  and  “…  another  fine  collaboration  from  James  Reams  and  Walter  Hensley.  The  result  is  an  

 

album  full  of  spirited,  traditional  bluegrass  music.  James  Reams’  solid  rhythm  guitar  and  strong  vocals  lend  a  solid  foundation  to  Hensley’s  clean  and  tasteful  banjo  picking..."  ~  R.  Steelman  of  Bluegrass  Music  Profiles.  The  2011  release  of  "One  Foot  in  the  Honky  Tonk"  made  two  Top  10  CDs  of  2011  lists  and  included  a  single  that  charted  nationally.      His  latest  album,  Rhyme  &  Season,  hit  the  streets  in  March,  2016  and  has  taken  the  bluegrass  world  by,  well,  barn  storm!  This  concept  album  is  a  rarity  for  bluegrass  listeners.  It  celebrates  the  perpetual  pilgrim  that  lives  within  all  of  us  with  songs  about  the  different  journeys  that  life  takes  us  on.  He  hopes  to  raise  awareness  about  the  homeless  and  is  donating  a  portion  of  the  album  proceeds  to  a  local  charity.    James  is  known  as  an  “Ambassador  of  Bluegrass”  for  his  dedication  to  and  deep  involvement  in  the  thriving  bluegrass  and  old-­‐time  music  community.  His  music  features  driving  rhythm  and  hard-­‐edged  harmonies  that  take  you  back  to  a  time  before  bluegrass  was  smoothed  out  for  the  uninitiated,  the  ill-­‐prepared  or  the  faint  of  heart.  His  original  songs  (alone  and  co-­‐written  with  life  partner  Tina  Aridas  who  passed  away  in  2011)  are  important  additions  to  the  bluegrass  repertoire,  keeping  this  tradition  alive  with  contemporary  issues  and  new  sounds.  His  guitar  playing  was  highlighted  in  Flatpicking  Guitar  Magazine's  Masters  of  Rhythm  Guitar  column.      In  addition  to  leading  James  Reams  &  The  Barnstormers,  he  is  the  organizer  of  the  Park  Slope  Bluegrass/Old-­‐Time  Jamboree,  an  annual  music  festival  he  started  in  1998  that  attracts  musicians  and  fans  of  traditional  music  to  its  workshops,  jamming  and  concerts  and  is  the  only  event  of  its  kind  in  or  around  New  York  City.  James  was  honored  that  the  Jamboree  was  nominated  by  the  IBMA  for  the  2014  Event  of  the  Year.      After  relocating  to  the  Phoenix  area  in  2012,  James  put  together  a  fine  group  of  musicians  and  now  has  a  presence  on  both  east  and  west  coasts.  James  celebrated  20  years  as  a  bandleader  in  2013  with  a  Coast-­‐to-­‐Coast  tour  and  the  release  of  the  DVD  documentary  "Making  History  with  Pioneers  of  Bluegrass:  Tales  of  the  Early  Days  in  Their  Own  Words.”    Take  a  listen  to  the  musician  that  Bluegrass  Unlimited  praised  as  “There  are  few  vocalists  as  natural  as  Reams.  He  doesn't  have  to  try  to  sound  down-­‐home,  he's  there  at  each  turn  in  the  song.”  You'll  be  glad  you  did!