James Walsh

The soaring, sometimes harrowing vocals of singer/guitarist James Walsh reveal an obvious debt to the unrestrained raw passion of the late Jeff Buckley. In the late '90s, Walsh read that one of his favorite artists was a Buckley fan. Out of curiosity, Walsh purchased a Buckley record and became an admirer himself, eventually listening to similar artists such as Tim Buckley (Jeff's father), Van Morrison, and Neil Young. Those influences eventually helped carve the sound and confessional lyrics of his band, Starsailor, named after a Tim Buckley LP. Walsh formed Starsailor in Wigan, England, with James Stelfox (bass), Ben Byrne (drums), and Barry Westhead (keyboards) in 2000. Walsh took piano lessons when he was 12, and by the time he met Stelfox and Byrne in college, he already had songs written. After two Top 20 hits in England with "Fever" and "Good Souls," Starsailor released their critically acclaimed first album, Love Is Here, in the U.K. in 2001. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide