James Colley

Who is James Colley?

James Colley is an American singer-songwriter whose music can be described as part rock and part classic country. Raised in Bakersfield, California, Colley found his musical inspiration in the works of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and Lou Reed.

At 18, Colley left Bakersfield and moved north to the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in pursuit of a career in music. During that time he met fellow singer-songwriter Manny Bernal, who invited Colley to play bass in an experimental music band called Fleeting Trance. Colley played with the band for nearly five years as they toured regularly throughout the West Coast and released numerous live and studio recordings.

In early 2003, Colley left Fleeting Trance to concentrate on his own musical efforts. He teamed up with long-time friend and producer Alex James Muscat and the two began recording tracks for Colley's debut album, California Skin. The nine-song record was released on Muscat's label, Last Stop Records, on August 7, 2004.