Music of the Moment - James Intveld

Have you heard of James Intveld? I must confess I  had not until last week. A friend put on a CD compilation from the Australian Music Festival "Greazefest", and the first song off the ranks was the James Intveld classic "Cryin' over you" (recorded by Rosie Flores). I am now truly hooked. What a voice, and what great vocal style !! Actually, James is the singing voice of Johnny Depps character in the John Waters film 'Cry Baby' (1990), and has dabbled in numerous acting and, more recently, directing rolls himself.

But it is his wonderful musicality that I want to focus on here. An adept musician, James plays double bass, drums, slide steel, and guitar as well as singing and songwriting. Like me, James grew up surrounded by music, listening to his parents records of Dean Martin, Hank Williams Sr, and Elvis. As a teenager he began performing at the Northern Hollywood Palomino Club and formed a band with his younger brother Ricky and bassist Patrick Woodward, calling themselves "The Rockin Shadows".

"The band disbanded when Ricky and bassist Patrick Woodward were asked by Ricky Nelson to join his backing band, the Stone Canyon Band. Both Intveld's brother and Patrick Woodward were also killed in the subsequent plane crash which took Nelson's life."

Wikipedia

According to his homepage bio, this incident left deep emotional scars in Jame's life. Naturally. Yet in the face of this great loss, James has been able to go on to achieve some wonderful successes on a professional level, buoyed by his faith. James beliefs are so beautifully evident on tracks such as "Walk with me"off his most recent release "Have Faith". 

Personally, I just love his laidback, smooth sounding, old school style of music (with a touch of country) in tracks like 'Crying Time', 'Lets get started', and "Perfect World"  - I feel it's what he does best.

If you havent heard of James Inveld, how about popping over to his webpage and checking him out too - you are sure to be impressed !