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James Black was born on August 31, 1975 at 6:54 am, somewhere in Ontario, Canada. He grew up to be one of the best guitarists and visionaries of the 20th century.
The first albums James ever got were albums by U2, Public Enemy, INXS, and Led Zeppelin. These, along with fellow Canadian bands like I Mother Earth, Tea Party, and Our Lady Peace, have some very obvious yet interesting influences on his playing style.
James attended school in Burlington, Ontario, which is located about 45 minutes west of the Toronto metropolis.
He first started working with the members of finger eleven when he and singer Scott Anderson started the band Stone Soul Picnic. The band was James on guitar and Scott playing drums. When the two met Rob Gommerman things changed. Rob and James recognized Scott's singing ability and decided to move him to lead vocals. This left Rob to be the drummer. When Scott's brother Sean Anderson and a friend named Rick Jackett joined the band, they changed their name.
The new band was called the Rainbow Butt Monkeys, after James' funny name for the mandril monkeys. Under this name the band released Letters From Chutney on Murcury Records Canada. The album was successful, but not the direction the band was headed.
After a while of writing and growing, the Rainbow Butt Monkeys ceased to exist. Out of the ashes arose finger eleven. The change was a maturing of the artists and the art. It represented a new outlook on life and on their music. Unfortunately, Murcury Records Canada did not have the same vision. A short while after releasing the debut finger eleven album, tip, the label dropped them.
Thankfully, an independent label called Wind-Up Records was more enthusiastic about the new sound. They signed the band and re-released tip in the U.S. and in Canada. The liner notes revealed another interesting change in the band. Former drummer Rob Gommerman left the band to persure his education and they hired Rich Beddoe to take his place. The new lineup continued to tour in support of tip.
Along the way, James has discovered himself over and over in new ways. His guitars have seen the most incredible things passing over their strings. He has also brought along his visual art. He created all of the creatures in the "Above" video and his drawings are showcased at the official finger eleven site, quicksand. (His sketches are also featured on this site, here.)
James Black's ideal setlist features finger eleven opening for Tool and Faith No More.
