Jim Wurster

Jim Wurster was born in the year of 1952, in a juke joint in Tupelo, Mississippi, while his mother was bogeying to the sounds of Howlin’ Wulff. Jim received his first guitar at the tender age of six months, just two months after he had taken his first step. A child prodigy, he was asked to join the legendary bluesman Charlie “Chickenshack” Caminski as second guitarist in 1965. His stint with Caminski was cut short when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969 to serve in the Vietnam conflict. Upon returning home from the war, he resumed his musical career as a solo artist playing coffeehouses and juke joints throughout the South. Later that year, Jim was asked to open a tour with Janet Joplin. The two struck up a relationship and became lovers until Janet’s death from an apparent overdose in 1970. Heartbroken and depressed, Wurster retreated to the studio to record his classic album. Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Although praised by critics around the world, the album sold less than a 300 copies. As a result of this commercial failure, Wurster was dropped by his label. Sinking into depression again, he dropped out of music and spent the next several years in the Dorothea Dix Asylum in Austin, Texas. In the meantime, Over the Cuckoo’s Nest became an underground classic. Today copies exchange hands for as much as $1,000. While Jim was going through therapy, a book based on his classic album was written by the Beat author Ken Kasey and in 1975 it was made into a movie starring Jack Nickelsan. Following his release from the asylum, Wurster became a dolphin trainer in Marathon, Florida. While working with the dolphins, Wurster was arrested for releasing the mammals from captivity. Considered a serious crime in Florida, he spent his next two years in prison. While in jail, he once again began writing music and upon his release formed the band Black Janet, named after his deceased lover. After fronting Black Janet for six years, Wurster left the group to pursue a solo career. Hist first solo release, Goodbye Paradise, a ten-song album of roots rock material, was well received. The Denver Post’s Steven Rosen hailed the recording for “having the same haunting qualities as (Buddy) Holly’s work did.” Last year, Jim re-recorded Black Janet's "Masters of Deception" with Endemik Music recording artist Skyrider. The label released the song as a 7"single. A recent collaboration between Jim, Skyrider and Bleubird ("God's Guns") can be found on Bleubird's new release, r.i.p. USA. Hallelujah is his latest offering. Wurster contends that this new collection of songs is an outline of his platform for the 2008 presidential election. He has since announced that he is resurrecting the Populist Party of the late nineteenth century.