About
Many artists claim to have music in their blood, but with Kenny James it’s more than that – music is his life. His father, Bob James, is a real musician’s musician, one of Chicago’s foremost slide-bone players and accomplished acappella gospel singers. Kenny’s mother, Carolyn James, also a singer and cellist. Rumor has it that Fats Waller was a not-too-distant relative.
Larry Graham has been one of Kenny’s biggest idols since he first saw him in concert in the early 1980’s. Not only did Graham’s performance opened Kenny’s eyes but his stage presence and musicianship inspired him to become the bass player he is today.
Aside from playing bass, Kenny is also a producer under the moniker, Invisiblemann, producing music for rock, pop, jazz, soul and R&B. Kenny James joined Plugged Music Group as a producer in 1996, and their first big break came that same year when H-Gun Productions, famous for Public Enemy and Anthrax’s video, “Bring the Noise,” approached Kenny and his partner, Jim Colao, to do the music for the MTV Movie Awards. This led to commercial gigs as diverse as Comedy Central, Levi’s, and Cartoon Network. They also attracted a wide range of artists from all over the world. Additionally, Kenny has provided music for documentary films such as the controversial “In a Diamond’s Shadow,” which can be seen on the Media page.
After honing his production skills, Kenny dived into the more serious side of production and along with Plugged Music partner, Jim Colao, they tore into making demos for McDonald’s, Squirt, Vidal Sassoon and many others. Kenny is now being pulled center-stage with 3 self-released, lavishly praised CD’s to his name.
After a brief stint in his hometown Chicago, Kenny returned to San Francisco and put together Family Funk, a 12 member funk machine that received write-ups that created packed clubs to hear the original funk music they created. One write-up complimented the band and that Kenny’s stage direction was close to seeing a P-Funk show. Check out the write-up in the Media page.
Becoming part of the foundation of the West Coast Oakland sound, Kenny’s bluesy, soulful bass tones can be heard weekly on Sunday mornings and weekends with various covered bands and upcoming artists. Along with playing bass full time for True Funk Soldiers, his own funk cover band, Kenny’s music should interest all music lovers eager to discover something new and exciting.
Larry Graham has been one of Kenny’s biggest idols since he first saw him in concert in the early 1980’s. Not only did Graham’s performance opened Kenny’s eyes but his stage presence and musicianship inspired him to become the bass player he is today.
Aside from playing bass, Kenny is also a producer under the moniker, Invisiblemann, producing music for rock, pop, jazz, soul and R&B. Kenny James joined Plugged Music Group as a producer in 1996, and their first big break came that same year when H-Gun Productions, famous for Public Enemy and Anthrax’s video, “Bring the Noise,” approached Kenny and his partner, Jim Colao, to do the music for the MTV Movie Awards. This led to commercial gigs as diverse as Comedy Central, Levi’s, and Cartoon Network. They also attracted a wide range of artists from all over the world. Additionally, Kenny has provided music for documentary films such as the controversial “In a Diamond’s Shadow,” which can be seen on the Media page.
After honing his production skills, Kenny dived into the more serious side of production and along with Plugged Music partner, Jim Colao, they tore into making demos for McDonald’s, Squirt, Vidal Sassoon and many others. Kenny is now being pulled center-stage with 3 self-released, lavishly praised CD’s to his name.
After a brief stint in his hometown Chicago, Kenny returned to San Francisco and put together Family Funk, a 12 member funk machine that received write-ups that created packed clubs to hear the original funk music they created. One write-up complimented the band and that Kenny’s stage direction was close to seeing a P-Funk show. Check out the write-up in the Media page.
Becoming part of the foundation of the West Coast Oakland sound, Kenny’s bluesy, soulful bass tones can be heard weekly on Sunday mornings and weekends with various covered bands and upcoming artists. Along with playing bass full time for True Funk Soldiers, his own funk cover band, Kenny’s music should interest all music lovers eager to discover something new and exciting.