James Willhite (now on iTunes)

About Me

Singer/songwriter/guitarist James Willhite was born in Maryland in the spring of 1981. He took up piano at the age of 10 and later began to find his voice. Willhite spent time attending Florida State University on a swimming scholarship, but eventually realized he was destined to play the guitar. He picked up an acoustic in early 2002, then a Fender Stratocaster in 2006 and hasn't put it down since.
Willhite often draws comparisons to artists such as John Mayer and Jack Johnson because of his smooth voice, heartfelt songwriting and mellow blue s-inspired guitar work. Although Willhite has discovered his own unique sound as of lately, the presence of these contemporary greats is quite prevalent. One may also hear the subtle blues influence of the late guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, who along with Mayer and Johnson is Willhite's biggest inspiration.
In late 2007, Willhite met percussionist Ross Friend at a Starbucks in South Florida. Friend, who had been playing drums since around the age of 5, sat in with Willhite on a few acoustic songs out on the coffee shop patio. That night a musical bond was formed between the two and they have been working together ever since.
The next logical step was to enter the studio. The Story Unfolds EP was recorded in June/July of 2008 with production & recording by Jamie and Ginny Wilson as well as Erin Ronsen lending his talents on bass guitar.
James and Ross' live shows are a blend of acoustic guitar, traditional and afro-cuban percussion which provides a unique acoustic sound with hints of blues, reggae and alternative influences. The duo performs many of Willhite's 20+ original songs as well as re-imagined covers by artists such as Radiohead, Bob Marley, John Mayer, SRV, Jack Johnson, Sublime, Josh Ritter, Rhett Miller, Eddie Vedder and more. James and Ross also perform as a power trio joined by Daniel Navarro on bass guitar. The trio plays electric, louder; often playing extended versions of James' most popular original songs as well as playing cover songs not previously played as an acoustic duo. The trio currently play under the name James Willhite Band.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 21/06/2008
Band Website: myspace.com/jameswillhitemusic81
Band Members: James Willhite - Guitar, Vocals, Piano
Daniel Navarro - Bass Guitar
Ross Friend - Percussion

often joined by;
Meaghan Willhite - Vocals
Noel Willhite - Guitar
Ben Roth - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Erin Ronsen - Bass Guitar
Influences:
Stevie Ray Vaughan
John Mayer
Jack Johnson
Radiohead
Ben Folds
The Beatles
Bob Marley
DMB
Rhett Miller
Jason Falkner
Jimi Hendrix
B.B. King
Counting Crows
Blind Melon
Fiona Apple
Pearl Jam
Stone Temple Pilots
311
Pink Floyd
Wilco
Ryan Adams
Sublime
Coldplay
Josh Ritter
Pat McGee Band
Eddie Vedder
Trevor Hall
Weezer
Sheryl Crow
etc.
Sounds Like: Come see us play, then you can decide...
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

South Street...

21+No Cover
Posted by on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:04:00 GMT

Earth Day Festival - Sat. April 25th

James Willhite Band: www.myspace.com/jameswillhitemusic81Roy Schneider: www.reverbnation.com/royschneiderThe Lids: www.myspace.com/thelidsbandDeep Roots: www.myspace.com/deep5rootsOther Activities Inc...
Posted by on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:03:00 GMT

A little help from our friends& RATINGS. (for those of you who use iTunes)

As many of you probably already know, our debut 3 song EP was recently released on iTunes.Ratings help independent artists rise above the clutter on iTunes.We are asking any of our friends with iTunes...
Posted by on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:10:00 GMT

NEW SONG POSTED... "The Ring Around the Moon"

We just finished recording/mixing on the song "The Ring Around the Moon" at Jamie Wilson's studio.It will be available on a forthcoming CD release.In the meantime, let us know what you think of it.Tha...
Posted by on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:57:00 GMT

YouTube channel launched...

James Willhite and the James Willhite Band are announcing the launch of "The Official James Willhite Music Channel" On YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/JamesWillhiteMusicWe have just begun to upload vi...
Posted by on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:07:00 GMT

NEW SONG POSTED (Like My Own)

Friday night we finished recording on the song "Like My Own".It will be available on a forthcoming CD release.In the meantime, let us know what you think of it.Thanks,James and Ross
Posted by on Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:25:00 GMT

The Story Unfolds EP * NOW AVAILABLE *

James Willhite The anticipated 3 song debut...The Story Unfolds EPNOW AVAILABLE ©$5 (includes shipping and handling) *limited quantity*................................................... ...............
Posted by on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:36:00 GMT

no MySpace downloads...

We have been getting some requests for MySpace downloads...The reason why we didn't enable the "download" option in myspace is honestly because of the quality. Myspace down converts all music files fo...
Posted by on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:36:00 GMT

(update) In the Studio...

Just a quick update...We are about 25 hours into recording the 3 tracks for our upcoming EP release. On the first track, Must Be Love; guitars, vocals, bass and drums are complete and the song is read...
Posted by on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:34:00 GMT

In the Studio...

James, Erin and Ross began work in the studio last week towards the release of a 3-track demo CD. We are 8 hours into recording. Guitar and vocals have been laid down on two tracks so far. We are aimi...
Posted by on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:42:00 GMT