About James Morrison
James Morrison [b. 1984; birth name, James Morrison Catchpole] is known primarily as a soul and pop-rock singer-songwriter. He comes from Rugby, Warwickshire [U.K] and endured a fairly challenging path to success—serious illness as a toddler plus a dysfunctional family life—before his breakthrough came at age 22. Open mic nights at a number of venues along the Cornwall coast eventually led to his discovery by an important music producer, who rewarded him with a recording contract with Polydor Records.
Morrison’s debut single was “You Give Me Something,” which peaked at Number Five on the U.K. charts in 2006. It was also quite popular in the Netherlands, where this song reached Number Two. His debut album, Undiscovered, was released in July 2006 and garnered him a significant number of positive reviews. No fewer than four singles from that album ultimately charted for Morrison.
In addition to his studio work, the guitarist/vocalist has racked up a number of highly acclaimed live performances. He was a secondary act at the 2006 V Festival (a Virgin Records production) and a headliner at their 2007 festival. Morrison also appeared in front of Prince Charles at the Royal Variety Performance in 2006. While on a U.S. tour in early 2007, Morrison sang on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (a popular late-night network chat show) as well as on NBC’s The Today Show.
He has collaborated on several songs with some seriously high-profile musicians, including a duet with Nelly Furtado on Morrison’s second album, Songs For You, Truths For Me [2008], and a track with Jason Mraz on a 2008 Mraz album. The song with Furtado, titled “Broken Strings,” has proved to be Morrison’s top-rated single. It reached the Number Two position on the U.K. pop charts in January 2009. His most recent album is The Awakening, which was released at the end of 2011. It is his first effort on Island Records and a compilation of folk-soul tracks with elements of Motown, gospel, and even country.
