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Wendy James

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For other uses, see Wendy James (disambiguation).

Wendy James
Birth nameWendy James
Born (1966-01-21) 21 January 1966 (age 59)
London, England
GenresPop punk, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, producer
InstrumentVocals
Years active1986–present
LabelsMCA Records
Websitethewendyjames.com

Wendy Patricia James (born 21 January 1966)[1][better source needed] is an English singer-songwriter most notable for her work with the pop rock band Transvision Vamp,[2] collaboration with Elvis Costello,[3] solo work with musicians such as James Williamson from Iggy & the Stooges,[4] Lenny Kaye[5] from The Patti Smith Group and James Sclavunos from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. She has released 10 albums from 1988 until 2024.

Transvision Vamp

Main article: Transvision Vamp

Born in London to a Norwegian mother and English father,[6] James was adopted soon after birth. She left home at the age of sixteen, moving to the East Sussex seaside resort town of Brighton.[7] There she met Nick Christian Sayer, who became her musical collaborator. Together Sayer and James moved to London and formed the pop-punk band Transvision Vamp, recruiting friends Dave Parsons and Tex Axile to complete the line-up. James was the lead singer and focal point of the group, and attracted media attention with her sexually charged and rebellious image.[8]

The band was signed by MCA in December 1986 and released a cover version of the Holly and the Italians song "Tell That Girl to Shut Up" in late 1987. Months later the follow-up single "I Want Your Love", with its pop/punk crossover appeal, entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. The band went on to release the hit album Pop Art in October. 1989 was the band's most successful year, with the number 3 hit single "Baby I Don't Care" and hit album Velveteen which entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and was a hit worldwide.[8]

Little Magnets Versus The Bubble of Babble, the third and final studio album by Transvision Vamp, was released in 1991. The album, recorded after a break from touring to focus on songwriting, was cited by lead vocalist Wendy James as her personal favorite, particularly highlighting the track "If Looks Could Kill."

Little Magnets Versus The Bubble of Babble was released internationally but remained available in the UK only as an import. Although it became the band's most successful release in the United States, ongoing tensions with the record label and exhaustion from years of touring led Wendy James and guitarist Nick Christian Sayer to disband Transvision Vamp in San Francisco in 1992.

Solo career, and Racine

Elvis Costello Collaboration with Now Ain’t The Time For Your Tears

When the decision had been made for Transvision Vamp to split, James wrote to Elvis Costello asking for his guidance. In response Costello, collaborating with his then wife Cait O'Riordan on five of the ten songs, wrote a full album's worth of material for James. The cassette he recorded was waiting for her when she returned to London at the end of the tour. These songs made up the tracks on her 1993 solo album Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears. Produced by The Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey,[9] it reached No. 43 on the UK Albums Chart in March 1993.[10]

Racine No.1 and Racine 2

In 2002 James moved to Manhattan New York USA and transformed her demo tape, written in London before she left, into her first release called Number One. James played all the instruments and recorded in Sonic Youth’s studio in Hoboken, New Jersey. She played gigs with two local co-musicians Ray Sullivan aka Chip Striker on drums and Singh Birdsong on guitar. They played the Tribeca Grand Hotel in NYC and Madame JoJo’s in Soho, London.

James followed up Number One in 2007 with Racine 2.[2] The album was recorded in New Jersey at Water Studios with a full band consisting of Henrik Strahl on guitar, James Meynell on bass and Chip Striker on drums. They toured extensively throughout Europe, Scandinavia and UK.

I Came Here To Blow Minds

James announced on her Myspace blog that she had been working on an album entitled I Came Here to Blow Minds, which was recorded in Paris in 2009 and mixed in Australia later that year.[11] Finally, a release date of 19 October 2010 (for digital release) was posted on James's official Facebook page in August 2010. One track from the album had already been made available for download on RCRD LBL[12] since May 2009.

The Price of the Ticket

All songs on the album were written by Wendy James, with the exception of two cover tracks co-written with James Williamson of Iggy and The Stooges. These covers include songs originally by Bob Dylan and Fred "Sonic" Smith, known for his work with MC5 and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. The album was recorded in New York City, with Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids) serving as engineer.

The core recording sessions featured live performances by Lenny Kaye (The Patti Smith Group), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), and James Sclavunos (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds). Following the initial sessions, James relocated to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, to complete the mixing process with engineer Jesse Nichols.

Album artwork was photographed and designed by fashion designer Kym Ellery, a longtime collaborator of James.

The album hit number 15 in the UK Official Vinyl album Chart and 13 on the Official Independent album Chart.

Queen High Straight

In October 2019, James was touring as 'the Wendy James Band' in support of the Psychedelic Furs, promoting a new album, Queen High Straight.[13] The album charted in the indie charts at No.16. The album's tour included a support slot with The Psychedelic Furs around the UK[14] and then a very long 32 date comprehensive tour of the UK. Recorded and Mixed in the UK, Mastered in NYC. Released in 2020 on The Wendy James Label.

The Shape Of History

On 25th October 2025 Wendy James released new album The Shape Of History on her own label The Wendy James Label.[15] It was released in two vinyl formats - a wide spine cover double vinyl LP, consisting of one 12” vinyl and one 10” vinyl. The 12” plays at 33 1/3 RPM and the 10” plays at 45 RPM.

Wendy described the album as her 10th and referenced a range of musical influences including 1970s New York punk, electronic, glam rock, punk/pop, 1950s rock and roll, Motown, hip hop, rhythm and blues, spirituals, country, ska, soul, and film scores. [16]

The album was recorded in West London and Brooklyn, mixed in Berkeley, California, and mastered in Brooklyn. It reached number 16 on the UK indie album charts and number 39 on the overall UK album charts.[17]

Discography

Transvision Vamp albums

Solo albums

Racine albums

Singles

References

  1. ^ "Wendy James". IMDb. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Bishop, Tom (15 October 2004). "Wendy James races back into view". BBC News. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  3. ^ "Gwendolyn". inanotherroom.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  4. ^ admin (18 September 2012). "James Williamson Collaborates With Wendy James On New Double-Single". Iggy and the Stooges. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  5. ^ "God Save The Sex Pistols - Wendy James - The Price Of The Ticket". www.philjens.plus.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  6. ^ Roberts, Chris (20 January 2016). "Transvision Vamp's Wendy James: 'We did to Warhol what he did to bananas". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Wendy James Biography". ilikemusic.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2008.
  8. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Transvision Vamp". Allmusic. Retrieved on 20 December 2008.
  9. ^ Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears (CD). Wendy James. MCA Records. 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 279. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  11. ^ Maya Singer (24 July 2009). "Wendy James Will Blow Your Mind". Style.com. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  12. ^ "EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Wendy James – You Tell Me | RCRD LBL | Free MP3 Downloads". Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  13. ^ "Read Latest News About Wendy James Featuring Gig Details & Releases". Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  14. ^ writewyattuk (13 April 2020). "Perilous Beauty – from Vampish past to touching presence and future intent – the Wendy James interview". writewyattuk. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Wendy James on Pop Art Survival | Interview". HeadStuff. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  16. ^ Biggane, Dan (18 October 2024). "Wendy James shares rockin' new single from her tenth solo album". Classic Pop Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  17. ^ "THE SHAPE OF HISTORY". Official Charts. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Official Charts > Wendy James". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  19. ^ a b c Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
  20. ^ "The 76-100 pos. UK-Charts-Thread > page 9 > 19 June 1993 (from ukmix.org)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
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