Sam James

Sam James is a singer-songwriter with a unique blend of pop, folk, soul, and hip-hop influences. Critics have described his sound as John Mayer meets Mumford and Sons with huge urban drums. Growing up in a home where his father dedicated an entire room to Bob Dylan, Sam grew up surrounded by music. At an early age, dealing with his parents’ divorce, he became fascinated with learning instruments and writing songs. He used to lock himself in his room for hours practicing and eventually taught himself how to play guitar, piano, banjo, bass, and mandolin.

Using his music as his escape, Sam played at every local bar and venue in his small town, performing anywhere he could even if it meant playing for little monetary gain for six to eight hours a day, six days a week. He would cover artists who he felt had a major influence on him such as Bob Dylan, James Taylor, John Mayer and Sam Cooke. He also used these gigs as a mechanism to polish his skills which helped to make him the incredible performer that he is today.

His talents eventually landed him as a contestant on season three of the NBC hit TV show “The Voice” as a member of Adam Levine’s team. The national audience took notice too, spurring Sam’s iTunes single of “Imagine” to the No.11 spot on the Rock chart. Although he did not make it to the end of the show and feeling as though the show had not captured the true essence of his music, Sam was more determined than ever to show the world not only who he was as an artist but also the embodiment of his sound. Having no money of his own, Sam was forced to borrowed money from friends and family, and boarded a plane to LA to work with a producer friend he knew from Massachusetts. Halfway into recording his project, the guys knew they were onto something special. This sparked a bidding war with publishing companies. In the end, Sam decided to sign with BMG Chrysalis and then went back in the studio to finalize his project.

The day Sam completed his album, his publisher introduced his manager and Akon. Within hours of Akon hearing the music, he recognized that he had come in contact with something truly extraordinary, and at 5 AM requested Sam’s lawyer contact. Akon offered Sam a recording deal with his label Kon Live, and Sam agreed to sign with Akon.

Sam has opened up concerts for Gavin Degraw, Third Eye Blind, Emblem3, Chuck Berry and many more. He has performed the national anthem for an HBO boxing championship fight as well as varieties of charity events including; National Cancer Survivors Day, Boston Strong, and USO tours for the troops.