Determination has always been at the heart of Morgan James' life. The soul and R&B artist's repertoire embraces a vast array of original music and versatile covers, all stemming from a towering five-octave Broadway voice. As a teenager set on attending Juilliard, the singer-songwriter was waitlisted when she applied. She would not take no for an answer and continued to write letters and appeal to the school until they added one more slot to the vocal program for her. She completed the program, graduating with a classical music degree, and continued to work hard for 10 years to make her way onto Broadway, which she successfully did. Eventually performing in shows such as Motown: The Musical, Godspell, The Addams Family, and Wonderland, James showed she had the talent to make it on the stage and beyond.
James' heart was always in music, whether writing and performing her own or celebrating the beauty of other songwriters. In 2012, James was signed to Epic Records, and her first studio album, Hunter, was released in 2014. Her actual debut on the label, however, was in 2012 - Morgan James Live: A Celebration Of Nina Simone. James' versatility with embracing cover songs of other artists was so celebrated by the label that during her Nina Simone live tribute show at the New York jazz club Dizzy's, they recorded and released it. She went on to release multiple full-length cover albums: Jeff Buckley's Grace, The Beatles' White Album, and Joni Mitchell's Blue.
Now again, James embarks on her own path. Currently on tour in support of her latest release, Nobody's Fool, she embraces her solo artistry while using her Broadway chops and talent to solidify her performances. Though James has proved she is a lady of all trades, this seems to be the trade she is most meant for, and the craft where she is most at home. She takes us off on an adventure on Nobody's Fool right away with "Everybody," and the ride from thereon out is emotional, exhilarating, and, more importantly, honest. The song "I'll Be Holding On" is poignant and heartbreaking, and though the R&B-infused album is sure to have you moving, on a song like "You Found Me," James settles into a warmth in her voice that is pure and fine-tuned, and it is here in the softness that we hear her for who she is.
James has a rare charm to her - a persevering and soulful woman who moves to her own inner metronome, and who will not let anyone tell her what she can't do. She shared with Songfacts how that determination has guided her throughout her career in the music industry, the importance of an all-female recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, and her career-defining moment when she obtained Prince's blessing to record his song "Call My Name."
Nicole Roberge (Songfacts): Congrats on Nobody's Fool. How has the tour been going?James' heart was always in music, whether writing and performing her own or celebrating the beauty of other songwriters. In 2012, James was signed to Epic Records, and her first studio album, Hunter, was released in 2014. Her actual debut on the label, however, was in 2012 - Morgan James Live: A Celebration Of Nina Simone. James' versatility with embracing cover songs of other artists was so celebrated by the label that during her Nina Simone live tribute show at the New York jazz club Dizzy's, they recorded and released it. She went on to release multiple full-length cover albums: Jeff Buckley's Grace, The Beatles' White Album, and Joni Mitchell's Blue.
Now again, James embarks on her own path. Currently on tour in support of her latest release, Nobody's Fool, she embraces her solo artistry while using her Broadway chops and talent to solidify her performances. Though James has proved she is a lady of all trades, this seems to be the trade she is most meant for, and the craft where she is most at home. She takes us off on an adventure on Nobody's Fool right away with "Everybody," and the ride from thereon out is emotional, exhilarating, and, more importantly, honest. The song "I'll Be Holding On" is poignant and heartbreaking, and though the R&B-infused album is sure to have you moving, on a song like "You Found Me," James settles into a warmth in her voice that is pure and fine-tuned, and it is here in the softness that we hear her for who she is.
James has a rare charm to her - a persevering and soulful woman who moves to her own inner metronome, and who will not let anyone tell her what she can't do. She shared with Songfacts how that determination has guided her throughout her career in the music industry, the importance of an all-female recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, and her career-defining moment when she obtained Prince's blessing to record his song "Call My Name."
Morgan James: The tour has been amazing. We're in the home stretch now. We have five shows left, that's all. Which I can't believe. When all is said and done, we'll have done 42 cities. We're all getting a little homesick, a little exhausted. The strange thing is, my voice is fine. My brain and body are a little tired. We're all looking forward to our own beds.
Songfacts: You are a multifaceted, talented musician, with a very impressive career. You attended Juilliard and got your start on Broadway in the shows Motown: The Musical, Godspell, and The Addams Family. How did your Broadway career prepare you for solo artistry?
James: I never really anticipated I would be a solo artist. I didn't set out to do that. The best things that Broadway life taught me were stamina and work. There's nothing more exhausting than Broadway life. Nothing can prepare you for touring like eight shows a week. It really teaches you about consistency and keeping your mind, body, and instrument healthy so you can do eight shows a week. You really get no time off in a Broadway schedule. It prepared me for things I didn't even know I was preparing for. Broadway actors, singers and dancers work harder than anybody on the planet, I swear, and it's a really great training ground for that.
Songfacts: Nobody's Fool is a great album and really multidimensional. The way it opens with "Everybody" is very soulful and joyful with the use of horns and varied instrumentation. How did you want to capture people with that song?James: We wanted to put it on and it already feels good. It's already a party. You don't have to warm into it. It's pretty cool that it starts out with my drummer Sarah [Gooch]'s amazing drum fill. That kicks in with adrenaline, and that's how we start the live show as well. The album is so inspired by artists we love from the '90s. That song is inspired by Maxwell. The album has so many influences from Mariah to Babyface and Janet, all these amazing artists that we love from the '90s. I wanted it to have this feel-good sound that we love from so many of those albums.
Songfacts: Since you mention incorporating that '90s sound, "Nobody's Fool But Mine" is one of those songs that is very R&B-infused. Did that style of music really influence you growing up in what you wanted to sing?
James: It's because I was coming of age in the '90s. I loved all that music so much. My first album, Hunter, is much more an R&B album. After doing a few straight-up soul albums to analog tape, we felt like we wanted to return to those R&B roots again. It makes me feel nostalgic in the best way.
Songfacts: It's true, that music brings you back. When you hear it, you get that joyful feeling. It's refreshing.
James: I miss it. It makes me feel like it's the eighth grade dance again.
James: When we were writing the album, Doug and I were both going through something with our respective best friends. They were both going through mental health and health crises. When a friend is going through something like that, you feel powerless. I remember Doug and I sitting down and saying, "Let's write something. If we could write something inspirational for them, what would we want them to hear?" It's the most powerful tool we have. It's the only tool, sometimes, it feels like. We wanted to write something that was unabashedly loving, hopeful, and inspiring. It's not something I usually write. We wanted to lean into that and pour our worry and our grief into writing something like that. By the time we went to record the album and release it, Doug's best friend had passed away really suddenly and tragically. They grew up in Memphis together and had known each other their whole lives. The whole last eight months had been filled with a lot of grief and trying to process that.
When it came time to make a video for it, I shared with my director Jonah [Z Helms] the story of writing it, and everything Doug and his friend had been through, and Jonah wanted to create a video that was so specific to one idea and yet so universal that one person could watch it and process their own grief by watching it. Something really deep and emotionally charged. We actually filmed the video over a three-day period, an actual road trip. My friend Pearl [Sun]2 and I went on a road trip in a '72 Bronco and we filmed it. I think that's what adds to making the reality of the friendship and trying to say goodbye to somebody you can't say goodbye to. I wanted people to come away with that. The song and the video are about the people we can't bear to lose and what it is like to move through life without them.
Songfacts: How incredible that it was a real road trip. It evokes such intense emotions, from the first moment of you crying in the car. You really pull people in and create this powerful little film.
James: I knew I had to have somebody in the video that I already knew well and already loved because I wanted to show real intimacy and real love on camera. Not that you can't show that with a stranger, but I wanted to show a true friendship. I said to Pearl, who is a fantastic actress and human being, "Would you like to go into the desert with me for three days and be away from your child and husband, and it barely pays anything and it's gonna be really rough and ready?"
She listened to the song, and said, "Yeah. I want to tell the story."
It's about Doug's friend Lanie [Zipoy]3, but it's about Pearl, and it's about me grieving and about loving. It's not about one thing. So many people watch it and they say, "I thought of my sister," "I remembered my dad." "It made me feel like it was about my spouse." That's the best thing you can hear about something you make, is that someone feels like they're a part of it. I'm proud of it.
Songfacts: "You Found Me" is a very beautiful, soft song. It really showcases your voice. Do you like writing and singing these quiet songs where your voice is the focal point, or something with larger instrumentation?
James: It's so funny you ask that because I'm so insecure about the softer songs, and Doug is always trying to encourage me to sing more of those. I feel more powerful and confident when I'm just yelling or belting and doing the louder and sexier stuff. It's very interesting that a lot of people have commented they love "I Waited For You" and "You Found Me" so much where I just let my voice exist, and I'm a little more vulnerable. I think that's a good sign that I should continue to do that.
I wrote "You Found Me" for Doug when we first started dating, 10 or 11 years ago. I had never found the right project to put it on. I wrote it when I was still signed to Epic, and I'm so glad we found the right place for it.
Songfacts: You have one cover on this album, Jeff Buckley's "Everybody Here Wants You." What prompted that song to have a place on this album?James: Doug and I are both huge fans of Jeff Buckley. We covered his entire album Grace on my YouTube channel. I just love that album, and I also really love the song "Everybody Here Wants You." When we were headed back to Memphis to record this album, we felt this pull towards Jeff because that's where he tragically died. He was going to Memphis to record his second album that this song was going to be on, and he tragically passed away there. We felt like, We're heading back to Memphis, maybe we could finish what Jeff started and honor him at the same time. The version he released was just a demo, even though it's incredible. We wanted to try to imagine what he'd do if he could've fleshed it all out. We wanted to pay tribute to him. And it's such a great song. It fits perfectly with the vibe.
Songfacts: You've done various cover albums before - Buckley's Grace, The Beatles' White Album, Joni Mitchell's Blue - how do you immerse yourself in another artist's music to produce a cover album and do it justice? Is it hard to get in that mindset?
James: Whenever I do these full-album covers, I get completely obsessed. I go inside it so deeply that it's all I can really think about. There are a lot of albums that I know, that we all know by heart. They come on the radio in our house, we can sing all the words, and we think we know them. To really cover an album fully, it's a kind of an immersion that's so intense because you have to know it inside and out. I've learned so much about songwriting and the albums I already know and love by doing that.
I think the coolest thing is that I fall more in love with them. I thought I loved Blue, and then I got inside of it and loved it more. I thought I loved The White Album, then I tried to take it all apart and figure out how I was going to exist inside of it, and I loved it even more. It makes me love the songwriting even more, it makes me trust the songwriting even more, because the older I get, the more I realize I don't really have to do anything to make a great song great. A great song is already great. I just have to exist inside of it. When I was younger, I thought I had to do a bunch of stuff to "make it better." When I'm covering iconic albums that are already perfect, I'm not making them better, I'm just stepping inside of them and trying to see for a minute what that artist felt like.
James: Yes. That was the first song I had ever arranged. I had been singing that song for a long, long time. I love it so much. When I was signed to Epic Records, we recorded all the songs for Hunter, and we recorded that song, even though L.A. Reid said to me, "You might as well not record it, don't waste your time." We did it anyway, it sounded amazing, I sent it to them everybody loved it, and he said, "We can't put it on the album, he'll never say yes." I said, "But has anybody asked him, because I think he would like it." They said, "No, he's never going to say 'yes.'" I said, "But why doesn't anybody just ask him?"
Cut to a year later. I begged and I begged and I begged. We released the album without "Call My Name" on it. L.A. calls me up one day and he says, "I was just listening to music in my house, and "Call My Name" came on shuffle. That's a good track." I said, "Thanks. I think we should send it to Prince." He said, "You know what, I think I'll send it to Prince." He called Prince's assistant and said, "Can you give me four minutes?" He sent the song over, and a few minutes later, Prince called back and said, "I love it and she should release it. She should make a video, the whole thing." A full blessing.
I'll never forget the day L.A. called to tell me that. It was a long process because everybody was scared and there was no reason to be scared of him. They immediately pulled my album and released "Call My Name" as a single. We went into the studio to make a video. They pulled the old album, rebranded the new one and added "Call My Name."
Songfacts: You've done some innovative projects, including She Is Risen, an all-female recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. How do you find that creativity and push those barriers?
James: That project came to me quite literally in a dream. Thankfully I had these incredible people around me that wanted to make it happen. It ended up being a challenging project that took me years to finish. That project was incredibly difficult. The more elements you add, the harder it gets. It was an 18-person cast, 20-person orchestra, an all-female creative team. The more elements you add, it gets hard to get it all done.
I'm so proud of that project and I'm in awe of the women that worked on it. I've never done a project with entirely women. When we did the concept version, it was the day before the Women's March when Trump had just been elected. The environment and the atmosphere - we needed this so much. I don't know if it's because of this project or what's in the air, and what we need and the movement, but so many more projects include women now. I think that flood was starting in that time period. It was an incredible thing to get to work on. And the cast - what an embarrassment of riches.
Songfacts: You have a determination in your spirit that blends into your sound. What type of artist do you want people to know you as?
James: People have always said to me, especially when I was younger, "I don't know what to do with you, what are you? You do too many things. You have too many different kinds of sounds. You have too many roles that you're playing." Like it was a bad thing, people not being able to put you in a box. The older I get, I really feel that's on them, than it is on me or the artist they're trying to encapsulate. I would like to show other women coming up that you can do all these things. You don't have to be just one thing or stay in one lane. Sometimes I wonder if I would've been more successful if I had just done one thing and stuck with it forever. But I get such a rush from trying these new things and trying to break certain barriers and be creative. I think the people that have known my career for a long time get it.
I hope more women in the business are allowed to wear more hats. What's wrong with being an actress and a singer-songwriter and producer and all these things, and not having to choose one? I like being the boss of my own little baby empire here. It's a small one but has a small but mighty following. A lot of times I hear well-meaning fans say, "It's too bad you're not famous or well-known or wealthy" - all these things that they want for me. In a world that doesn't value creating things, continuing to create is the success, and not giving up on the desire and hope that making things matters. That's the success.
Songfacts: So many people give up too soon on a creative life because of that discouragement from others.
James: It's easy to do. I see why. It's really hard. They don't make it easy. The world doesn't make it easy on creators. I see why people leave and I don't blame them for leaving. But it's a war of attrition. Not leaving is the key, and sometimes that's the only thing I can do. It's like, I didn't quit today. I give myself the grace of that.
June 1, 2023
Follow Morgan James on Instagram.
photos: Shervin Lainez
Footnotes:
- 1] Doug Wamble is a Tennessee-born jazz guitarist and vocalist who, in addition to his solo work, has played sideman to the likes of Wynton Marsalis, The Avett Brothers, and Cassandra Wilson. (back)
- 2] Pearl Sun is an actress who also joined the all-star female cast for She Is Risen, James' gender-flipped take on Jesus Christ Superstar. (back)
- 3] Lanie Zipoy was a filmmaker known for the 2020 movie The Subject, her feature-film directorial debut that was scored by Wamble. She died in a car accident in 2022 at age 49. (back)
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