I was born and raised in Georgia, USA. In the Seventies, with bands like Fleetwood Mac and America playing on my parents' car stereo, I would hear the music and hold it in my head. Arriving home, I'd run straight to the family piano, picking out the right notes until the marching bass line of "Tusk" or the poppy melody of "Sister Golden Hair" reverberated through the living room.

Marietta, GA (Rule of Order)

When I was twelve, I put my first band together: a four-piece cover band with keyboards, drums, bass, and a lead-singing guitarist. My duties rested with vocal harmonies and totally awesome synthesizer riffs. After toying with such names as Deep Focus and Equinox, we eventually discovered THE perfect name for a band: Rule of Order. Sadly, the first song we played was something by Bryan Adams. Eventually though, Rule of Order's song list consisted primarily of songs by "cooler" bands like REM, the Cult, the Cure, Van Halen, the Police, and U2. For the next six years we honed our craft in a suburban bedroom, playing a few clubs and parties now and then until our hard work finally culminated in the Spring of 1989 at the Battle of the Bands in the Lassiter High School gym. We kicked high school ass, taking top honors at the event. Rule of Order was now the talk of the town, and it took several months before anyone had forgotten that unforgettable evening.

Athens, GA (Dayroom)

The eighties were now over, and so was Rule of Order. The cheesy synthesizer had run its course, and I figured that since I had been playing piano consistently since I was twelve, I should do so in a rock band. Thusly, Dayroom was formed in October 1991. Dayroom wrote original music and had plans for world domination. Over the next eight years, Dayroom played an average of 180 shows per year all across the United States and Europe, and recorded three full-length albums. By the end of the century, the evolution of Dayroom had gone like this: experimental wacky band - hippie jam band - white boy funk band - progressive pop rock band. Through all of this we gained a solid reputation, critical praise, numerous honors, and a loyal following across the country (our mailing list had grown to over 10,000 people). However, after over eight years together, the band had run its course. Dayroom played their last show in February 2000.

San Francisco Bay Area

When I moved to the Bay Area in 2001, I began doing work as studio musician. I played keyboards on numerous albums being recorded in the area for the next two years. While working with new local band Four Year Bender in early 2002, I took a shine to the music and the folks making it. I was singing harmonies and playing Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B3 and sometimes an accordion. It was so much fun, I asked to stay on and play with them full time, and for some reason they let me. I've been playing and recording with them ever since.

And now the big news......

Recently, after twenty years in various bands, I began writing and performing my own original material. In the Summer of 2005 I recorded a five-song demo entitled James Riddle Sounds Like This. It was recorded in a relatively short amount of time with the help of two of my wonderful and talented friends: Mike Winger (bass, engineer, mixing) and Boone Spooner (drums, engineer), who also play with me live during my non-solo shows.

That pretty much brings us to the present: I am currently writing songs at a furious pace, recording more demos, and performing in various venues in the Bay area. Sign up on the email list and I'll let you know when/where I'm playing.