Living in Hollywood, McGill Alumnus
and entertainer Adam James, misses things about home and enjoys connecting with
other Canadians. For James, those friends include other performers who have made
their way down south and have created their own "home away from home".
James grew up in Georgetown, Ont.
then attended McGill University to obtain a degree in music. While there, he
co-founded Panache, a musical group, in which he sang and played the
drums. Panache's performance success at local clubs and concerts paid for the
group's studies and the production of their first CD, 'Take Us Home'.
The band produced three CD's
including its critically acclaimed second one, 'It's About Time'. James also
performed in several solo performances before being asked to portray Frank
Sinatra, by daughter Tina Sinatra, a year after his death. This was the first
ever musical production about his life entitled 'Sinatra: Remembered'. "Tina and
I talked a lot about his legacy and she was very protective as you can imagine,"
James states.
From there, James was lured to
study with jazz singing legend Mark Murphy in New York, as part of a grant from
Canada Council. "I arrived 10 days before 9/11", James recalls. "I was sleeping
when the tragedy happened. It was a day I'll never forget." While in New York,
James also co-starred in one of the longest running off Broadway shows 'Our
Sinatra'.
The crooner has also performed
internationally with symphonies and big bands including Orchestra London, the
Macon Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Pops and numerous Jazz ensembles.
"More recently at the 2010
Olympics, I wrote with David Pierce (who just won The Emmy for Musical
Direction), Suzie McNeil and Dane Diviller for the Closing ceremonies title song
'Let's have a Party', James mentions." The Olympics was a once in a lifetime
experience," James shared. "From a production standpoint, it was like putting on
the Superbowl every day for 2 weeks." James also hosted the Olympic venue, the
Bell Blue Ice Cube. "It was a great opportunity to meet folks like Wayne
Gretzky, Steve Nash and Olympians. During the closing, ceremonies I was
fortunate to sit beside Rick Hansen."
James has seen a lot along his
musical journeys. "Recently, I'd say we've seen the American Dream eroding with
respect to entertainment. In the past, training and working hard might lead to
fame. Today, with reality shows, short cuts can be taken with minimum efforts
required."
When asked about how Canadians are
perceived in the entertainment industry, James responds, "we're respected and
bring our own flavor to our craft."
James is in the final stages of
completing a solo recording with producer Dave Pierce. He looks forward to touring the U.S. and Canada soon.
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