James Fagan

Who is James Fagan?

James Fagan is a folk musician from Sydney, Australia. He is a singer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the Irish bouzouki.

Born in Australia in 1972, James was the first child of Sydney-based folk singers Bob and Margaret Fagan. They, James and his sister Kate formed The Fagans, and have toured the Australian folk scene since the early 1980s. James’s first instrument was piano. By his teens, he was singing, playing guitar, and playing the clarinet. In 1994, he joined Alistair Hulett's band The Hooligans which included Jimmy Gregory who introduced him to the guitar-shaped bouzouki which is now his main instrument. Singing remains his first and foremost musical love.

He completed his medical training in 1995 and was on holiday in England when he met Nancy Kerr. They formed the duo which has become the mainstay of their career. James is well respected in his own right on the UK music scene – his other projects include being a member of The Cara Dillon Band, Melrose Quartet and heavy metal English Ceilidh band The Glorystrokes. He has also toured as part of Bellowhead.