Jamesfox.biz

Five years on and jamesfox.biz is celebrating another anniversary. It is an incredible achievement, in a year that has seen James releasing his Six String E.P. in early December 2007, achieving chart success with Bluebirds Flying High in May this year and now looking forward in the very near future to his long held ambition of releasing his own album.

Another successful website gig in Cardiff kicked the year off to an excellent start in September 2007 with James giving members an outstanding performance. The year seemed to develop a sporting theme as he then took part in Sky One Premier League All Stars Football two days later followed by two appearances in Sky TV Poker, but it was during April and May 2008 that we realised how much sport was going to influence the next phase of his career. A loyal Cardiff City Football Club supporter since a very young age, James had been so inspired by their F.A. Cup run that he wrote Bluebirds Flying High and was thrilled that it was adopted as their official F.A. Cup Final song. It proved to be a very busy time as he performed and promoted the single on television and radio, and gave many newspaper interviews. He also made numerous personal appearances to perform the song and sign copies of the CD at stores in Cardiff and the surrounding area. The official launch party for the song at Hard Rock Caf on 30th April with an invited audience that included competition winners and a superb performance from James and his band at the Celebratory Dinner on May 4th held to mark Cardiff City gaining their place in the Wembley Final were two of the highlights. People in Wales, especially club supporters, and website members got behind the lively catchy song and sales resulted in some records being set. It reached 15 in the U.K. charts, quite remarkable considering its niche market, not only that, it was number 1 in Wales and in the Indie charts being released on the Plastic Tomato label. One more interesting record revealed that it was the first time in eight years that a U.K. entrant for Eurovision had charted again under their own name. We were all very proud of James and it was terrific to be able to revel in every moment of his well deserved success and enjoy the atmosphere of the occasion.

James also supported Wet Wet Wet at Hard Rock Caf in Cardiff, Nottingham and London during October and November 2007. Two important gigs took place in February at Club Lennox in Bargoed where James performed with his band and delivered an electrically charged set that included songs from his E.P. This launched Six String in style in front of a home audience. Following these gigs, James and his band flew to Afghanistan with the CSE to entertain the troops, providing a much needed morale boost for them. In a Sky News report on June 17th James spoke about how worthwhile this had been when he was interviewed about the importance of entertaining the Forces. He also continued his work with charities by performing with his band on St Davids Day at a Charity Ball to raise money for Velindre Hospital and at Hard Rock Caf in Cardiff on the 2nd March to raise funds for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. James willingness to go on CSE tours and to become involved in charitable work is a credit to him.

For a substantial part of the year, he has worked hard writing and recording songs, in partnership with producer Mads Hauge, firstly for Six String E.P. and in recent months for his album. During the production stage for the E.P., James also recorded video up-dates posted on youtube, which were fascinating to watch and heightened the sense of anticipation on site. Since its release, members have excitedly discussed the songs and decided upon their favourites, something which has never been easy with James skilled writing. Six String is an impressive collection of solo and co-written compositions recorded with high production values. However, James has indicated in a newspaper article, that a very different sound should be expected in the album and at Pontypridd on 20th July in front of six thousand people; he gave a preview by performing Higher. It was well received with cheers and applause. The first airing on Real Radio on Friday 15th August provided another opportunity to hear the exciting up-tempo song that will be his next single.

James has always shown drive and determination which has enabled him to rise to any challenges presented to him in his career. His talent, strength of character and ability to adapt to different opportunities will take him further. This year has been amazing, but the future holds great promise as we look forward to the single and the album.

Thank you, James for your continued interest and involvement in jamesfox.biz and for your brilliant performances and wonderful songs. We wish you success and also wish you health and happiness, and offer our support during 2008-09.

Happy Anniversary jamesfox.biz.