James Daniel Nelson has been making seventies-styled, easy-listening music for as long as he can remember. Born and raised in New York's Spanish Harlem, he started playing harmonica, drums and trumpet in church groups before settling on the guitar at the age of seventeen and embarking on the long road to musical growth. His influences include singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon, as well as bands like the Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Santana. His music seamlessly fuses Latin rhythms with Pop and Blues to highlight his self-reflective lyrics.
A mostly self-taught musician and songwriter, James played in several local bands, mainly alongside his long-standing friends and collaborators, Ron Maldonado and Rob Flores. Along the way, he also received training in audio engineering. Although he is well versed in guitar, piano, drums, and bass among other things, and though he loves to sing and express himself through his music, he considers himself a producer primarily and relishes in the ability to get the most out of the artists he works with.
James now spends the bulk of his time with his wife, Maggie. He is the proud father of four grown children and grandfather of nine grandchildren ranging in age from eight to twenty-nine. At sixty, James enjoys playing computer games with his cool nerd friends and watching sci-fi and zombie movies. He is also an author, having written a memoir titled “The Circuitous Route” Still, music remains his principal passion. Whether he’s using Pro Tools to craft songs or Photoshop to create the artwork for his album covers, he can usually be found at his computer in his dining room in a small apartment in Mesa, Arizona, happy beyond belief,
At this phase of his life, James is no longer interested in writing the next hit song. He has no desire to tour the world or get on the Fallon show. He wants to write his songs, produce them to the best of his ability, and then release them on the internet for others to enjoy.
This website is a labor of love for him. He will make his music, write his essays, draw his pictures and he is comfortable, content, and happy. Thanks for sharing this with him.
