Critically-acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Susan James’ versatile voice and virtuosic guitar work engage her fans on disc and onstage, as she has toured nationally as a solo act with artists including Lindsey Buckingham, Bob Weir, Ratdog, and Richard Buckner, as well as opening for artists such as Son Volt, Rufus Wainright, Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Daniel Lanois and others. This California native picked up the guitar at eight years old and never looked back, eventually earning a UCLA ethnomusicology degree. Her recording career was jumpstarted in the late ‘90s when a legendary Apple Computer founder heard her playing a Bay Area coffeehouse and handed her a paper bag of cash to finance her first album, Life Between Two Worlds . James was joined on her second CD, Shocking Pink Banana Seat by D.J. Bonebrake (X) on drums and Abby Travis on bass. Seeing her live show led Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman to invite James on the road, opening for Ratdog. She was hand-picked by Lindsay Buckingham as the opening act for his US tour. She also had the honor of opening for such acts as Richard Thompson, Daniel Lanois, Billy Bragg, Jim Carroll, and Rufus Wainright, among others. Musician friends like Tommy Stinson (Replacements) and the Wondermints are heard on her third release, the ambitious double-CD set Fantastic Voyage. Disc 1 allowed her multi-octave voice to soar, while her inventive tunings and fretwork are highlighted on the all-instrumental Disc 2. The CD set received much critical praise and led to tours in Europe and Canada. James then met and moved to London to join her husband, sound engineer/producer Fulton Dingley, renown for his work with Stereolab and the High Llamas. After taking time off in the UK to become a mom, Susan relocated with her family to funky Topanga Canyon in LA, where her country lifestyle has certainly inspired the tone of her newest release, <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Susan+James">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.