At the age of 59, songwriter Jim Byrne has signed to Fox Star Records. His first release will be out on 15th October. The EP called '4 Country & Folk Songs’ is a mix of roots-based influences (country, blues, Cajun fiddle & accordion, Scottish folk) and melodic singer-songwriter sounds from the 1960s.
On 'The Yellow Clock' and 'This Heart of Mine is a Blind Blind Fool' Jim is joined by fellow country music lover and singer/storyteller Lesley O'Brien (Carlton Jug Band) - to great effect - as Lesley's voice complements his own.
Born in Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland, Jim spent his teenage years playing in punk bands and many subsequent years playing in garage bands, (most notably, The Primevals). When he set out on a solo career in 2008 he picked up his acoustic guitar and headed towards the Americana genre.
An award-winning songwriter and accomplished guitar player, he has self-released 4 critically acclaimed solo albums. The three most recent, ‘Oh My Beautiful You’, ’The Innocent’ and ‘Every Day is Sunshine’ where particularly well received by listeners and press alike (Q Magazine, UNCUT, Maverick, Folk Blues and Beyond, Spiral Earth).
Jim has toured internationally and has supported artists such as Benny Gallagher (of Gallagher and Lyle) and shared the stage with Blues performers Hans Theessink and Whizz Jones (famed for influencing Eric Clapton). As a songwriter he has written with, among others, the Jazz singer Carol Kidd, pop singer Marti Pellow and with the poet Janet Crawford.
Website: www.songsbyjimbyrne.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/musicbyjimbyrne
Twitter: twitter.com/SongwritingMagc
FoxStar Records: www.foxstarrecords.com