Today we’d like to introduce you to Sunshine James.
Hi Sunshine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Singer-songwriter Sunshine James is just as comfortable entertaining people in small bar rooms across the country to tearing the roof off honky-tonks in Nashville, Tennessee. As an Arizona native, he grew up in the outskirts of the city just east of Phoenix in the desert near the Superstition Mountains. Having been raised in a deeply musical family, Sunshine learned at a young age to play guitar before he started covering music sung by his heroes. His foundation as a country artist is traditional at its core, yet he is not afraid to let his southern rock, blues, bluegrass and folk influences shine through into his music.
In his early adult life, he toured across the western United States, helped physically build a recording studio, and he even had a hand in starting a record label. Sunshine James has always done it his way and will continue to do so. With a passion for songwriting, he decided to pursue his love of music and build his career as an independent country artist, finding himself on the road to Nashville. Sunshine James can be seen on stage at various honky-tonks in and around Music City, challenging himself at songwriter nights and working with other artists to continue building his unique sound and style for many years to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Never smooth. But easy. I worked real jobs and manual labor from the time I was little kid. Putting your heart and soul out to the world and continuing to be ignored is tough on the psyche, based on studies I’ve read. But it doesn’t seam to bother me and I think that’s because I’m very aware of what I could be doing instead. So the “struggles” are just that I’m not on tour playing my own music. But just like any business, it takes years to nail your product and find your audience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a singer, songwriter and musician. I play music full time in any capacity I can. But almost always playing guitar and yelling into a microphone. I’m not sure what “I’m known for” exactly. That would be a question for my friends and girlfriend. I hope I’m known for being a good hang and easy to be around. My dad always said I’m a good set of hands on the ranch haha. What makes me proud is when good things are said behind my back and that my folks are proud of me. But personally, my work ethic is my pride and what sets me apart. Musicians are luckily pretty lazy, so it’s not too hard to put work them haha. I take pride in my passion for my career and that one of my heroes, Mark Chesnutt, is a fan of my singing and writing. I apologize for name dropping. But come on. That’s cool as hell.
What matters most to you? Why?
My woman. My family. My career. Without a partner to do life with, without family and without any dreams or goals, I can’t imagine life being this great.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunshinejames.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshinejamesco?igsh=emJiaHQ5cHBpNGV4&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18HAcyaVon/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sunshinejamesco?si=KXhbNXC6bnH3UW5c
