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Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley
(Beachwood Recordings Publicity Photo) JPG version– 470K TIF version– 4.4M |
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Press Release |
BiographyWith a history that includes 5 years on StarTrek Deep Space Nine as the singing Klingon amongst other roles; 3 years as Steven Wright’s opening act; tours with Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Dregs, Robin Trower and Robin Williams; the composer of the hits Coming Out of Hiding, I Don’t Want To Talk About It and Plenty of Reason as well as scoring the PrimeTime CBS TV Special, CATHY; 32 solo CD’s and duet CD’s with Peter Tork, Cliff Eberhardt, Dan Navarro or John Batdorf, you know you are in for an evening rich in musical chops, great songs and a man who, his remarkable singing and guitar playing notwithstanding, could be a stand up comedian… As they said in the Village Voice, “with James Lee Stanley you get it all”. And his recent documentary, The Opening Act-The Extraordinary Journey of James Lee Stanley, has already garnered 30 independent film awards, including Best Documentary and Best Soundtrack. His latest CD is The Day Today released April 30, 2024.
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JAMES LEE STANLEY IS EXTRAORDINARY!
“This man is a great artist – his songs are finely-crafted and richly textured, with immediately memorable melodies and thought provoking lyrics, and his guitar playing is simply gorgeous, alternating between subtle finger picking. Lush chording, stark simplicity, rhythmically-charged complexity, and many and varied shades in between.”
“Ironically, the liveliest moments of the evening were spent with Steven Wright’s opening act, James Lee Stanley. A sort of comedic folksinger, he played guitar and sang several original compositions, the most notable, “Three Monkeys” (with an anti-Cuban theme), “Digitalis” (a humorous take-off on a latin boogie hit), and “Racing the Moon”.
“…it was accompanied … by a genuinely spirited, spontaneous standing ovation. Yikes! An honest encore call. Politicians could learn something from James Lee Stanley about peaking. He hit it right, this very talented performer.”
“One of the best concerts to ever come to Sacramento. James Lee Stanley was a last minute substitute for Jimmy Webb. Like Garfunkel, Stanley sings melodic pop and the slightly risque anecdotes he told put the crowd in a perfect mood for what was to come. A standing ovation followed his set and he will undoubtedly have fans to come back in Sacramento.”
“His comedy and songs won the hearts of the 6,000 in attendance and brought them to their feet in an ovation that brought him back for two encore numbers.”
“The show was stolen by the opening act … James Lee Stanley … Stanley held the attention of the audience from the beginning of his set to the end. His music has a mellow James Taylorish quality. A solo performer, Stanley drew overwhelming applause for his outrageous monologue as well as his music.”
“In concert with Michael Murphey, the unexpected delight of the concert was the opening solo performance … James Lee Stanley … Stanley drew the kind of ovations not usually accorded to a performer who depends entirely on his voice, guitar and some well placed jokes.”
“Loose and jocular, Stanley proved to be a master at relating to nightclub audiences … ”
“His strongest asset is a facile voice which makes easy climbs into falsetto, glides through his accustomed tenor, and occasionally drops into a full baritone.”
“This is only the second time there has been enough enthusiasm for an act to have a return engagement within the same year.”
“An unexpected power from the limited instruments (Stanley plays acoustic guitar and piano) creates rock ‘n’ roll that would justify rolling out the dance floor. The more sad and sensitive expressions of the love songs are counterbalanced by Stanley’s absurdly amusing introductions…”
” … Stanley delivered his original songs with vocals that flipped from breathy whispers to falsetto hiccups to slightly menacing shouts. It’s a style that captured both the attention and the imagination. … Stanley accompanied himself with crisp, full work on acoustic guitar. There was no need for backup. Stanley is a one-man band who doesn’t need any help.”
” … James Lee Stanley is not like other performers. His solo show … did a lot to reinforce his image as a very real, down-to-earth acoustic musician. … His masterful guitar playing and his wide vocal range … won over the audience.”
” … James Lee Stanley … performed a smooth set of well-crafted, touching songs. Stanley is the type of guy that makes it all look easy, the words and the guitar notes just flowing without any noticeable effort…”
“James Lee Stanley – Freelance Human Being (Beachwood Recordings): A wise, mature album that strips James down to the essentials: guitar and voice. In this setting an artist puts it all on the line. James rises to the occasion and surpasses even the most grandiose of expectations. A real pro, one of the finest writers of our time.”
“…puts to shame the pretenders to the who aspire to the ‘adult contemporary’ label; this album leaves you agreeing with author Tom Robbins that James Lee Stanley is indeed the last great undiscovered songwriter in America”
“…James Lee’s version of Drive My Car from his Apocaloptimist CD is fresh, original and brilliant.”
-Brooke Halpin
Host of Come Together with the Beatles syndicated radio show