James Walsh

James Walsh is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist from Chorley, Lancashire. He is also a pianist and the frontman of Starsailor. He is born on 9 June 1980.

Early musical development

Walsh starts playing piano at 12 and writes his own songs by the time he is 14. He listens to groups including The Charlatans, Oasis and Jeff Buckley, and later becomes interested in artists such as Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and The Beatles. He is described as a shy and lonely personality who looks for artists that influence musicians of his generation.

Starsailor

Walsh names his band Starsailor after the title of Tim Buckley’s 1970 album Starsailor. He meets the other band members while studying music at Wigan and Leigh College in Wigan.

Solo and collaborations

In 2009, Walsh starts recording his first solo album. He works with American songwriter and singer Suzanne Vega on that project and makes his first film collaboration with Powder. He also works with the Belgian band Andes on the song “één dag meer” and supports Sheryl Crow.

Other interests

Walsh is a supporter of Liverpool F.C. and plays concerts for other supporters. He also comments on the team’s development on Myspace and Twitter.