James Warren was one of the principal songwriters in the quintessentially British rock band Stackridge. Hailing from Bristol, James played bass, guitar and fronted the band and cites Lennon-McCartney, Paul Simon and The Beach Boys as early influences. He and song-writing partner Andy Davis developed the band’s quirky, progressive repertoire and Stackridge played the very first Glastonbury Festival as the opening act.
In 1971 the band signed to MCA Records. Three albums followed including their best known work ‘The Man in the Bowler Hat’, recorded with legendary Beatles producer George Martin. Stackridge gained a huge following from their live shows but were simply too eclectic and progressive for commercial recognition. It wasn’t long before cracks appeared within the now large line-up, with members wanting to follow their own paths. Even though the band had a brush with stardom by performing at Wembley stadium with Elton John and The Eagles in 1974, they failed to tour and two years later disillusionment had set in and Stackridge officially threw in the towel.
Then surprisingly in 1978, Warren and Davis entered mainstream music as The Korgis. Their highly melodic tunes, thoughtful lyrics, strong vocal harmonies and uber-catchy hooks eventually resulted in commercial success with the Andy Davis penned ‘If I Had You’ from their debut LP, ‘The Korgis’ in 1979. Originally The Korgis were to be a 3-piece, and the very first demo was penned by the 3rd member Steve Lindsey. The song was called ‘Lines’ and Steve decided to form his own band The Planets, who had a hit in 1979 with their own version.
The Korgis were at their core, a studio only outfit, but In the middle of 2018 the pressure to tour finally gave way to the band rehearsing up a live set. The first gig was at The Sunshine Festival in August 2018. Although the name was misleading as it was one of the wettest gigs ever(!), the audience reaction was overwhelming, and The Korgis as a touring band had finally arrived. Of course, the band draw from the collective history of Stackridge, The Korgis and James’ solo albums. With ‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime’ seeming even more relevant today than in the ‘80’s, it is gratifying to see a new audience joining with the stalwarts.
James Warren’s music has been described as ‘timeless’, and perhaps that’s what makes his music seem just as fresh today, as when The Korgis first hit the charts in 1979. Here's to the next 40 years!
