Biography

A band leader for over 17 years, James Reams has had his feet firmly planted in bluegrass, both figuratively and literally. He was raised in London, Kentucky, not far from where the first ideas and notes of bluegrass were born from the genre's father, Bill Monroe. As a small child, Reams grew up playing bluegrass and old-time music before moving as a teenager to Wisconsin and then to New York City as a young man. During his formative years, Reams held tightly to the music he was raised on, carrying it with him, and eventually starting his own band of musicians, The Barnstormers in 1993. Over the years, Reams has been nominated for an IBMA award (Recorded Event of the Year in 2003 for James Reams, Walter Hensley and the Barons of Bluegrass) and he was honored in 2004 by his hometown of London, KY for his contributions to the arts and sciences. And he is revered in the NYC area for being an advocate for bluegrass and old-time music and is partly credited for its thriving existence in that region. Still, with all that Reams and his band have accomplished, it was time to make a bold move and put one foot in the honky tonk.



Noted freelance writer Donald Teplyske said it best in the liner notes of this new project; "With One Foot In The Honky Tonk, James Reams further defines his bluegrass, blending the varied elements of the roadhouse with sounds from the hills of Kentucky and her neighbors. One foot in the honky tonk indeed, but the rest of the Barnstormers' bodies and their souls are deep in the bluegrass."

Joined by fellow Barnstormers Mark Farrell on fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Doug Nicolaisen on banjo; Nick Sullivan on upright bass and vocals; with special guests Kenny Kosek playing fiddle and Barry Mitterhoff playing mandolin on selected tracks, James Reams and the Barnstormers has assembled some of the most engaging music to be found in the honky tonks of Texas, Ohio, and New York alike. As much enthusiasm as he has for the project, Reams credits his dear friend and partner Tina Aridas with the song selection. "Tina and I started over two years ago with song selection," states Reams. "She always said that the song should be king so we packed this album with what I think are amazing songs and tunes." In addition to writing much of the material on the project, the Barnstormers also pulled songs from writers who have spent a lifetime penning honky tonk songs such as Harlan Howard and Stonewall Jackson. "I've always been a big fan of Stonewall's music," continues Reams. "So I called him up in Nashville and visited with him over the phone and he ended up singing a song he wrote called "Almost Hear The Blues". I just loved it and we ended up putting it on the CD. He is a great writer and I really believe he deserves to be recognized for it in his lifetime."



James Reams and the Barnstormers has been a staple in bluegrass music for the past 17 years with much of the credit going to Tina Aridas. "Tina was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer, became sick and needed a tremendous amount of care at home," states Reams. "She passed away just before the planned release of the album and so we put the project off for a while. Tina and I loved to share the news of a new release together and I know she would be so happy about this."