James was born June 28th, 1963 and started playing music when he was 4 years old. He began his formal studies when his mother asked him if he wanted to learn how to play the piano to which he replied, "No!" His mother promptly told him he would start lessons the following week with his Godfather, Ervin Sapp! For the next 10 years he took private lessons in piano and theory which set the foundation for what would eventually become a life-long love of music and all things theatrical. After his Godfather died from AIDS in early 1981 James began to immerse himself in literature and music. In the fall of 1981 he enrolled at Riverside Junior College where he spent the next couple of years involved in theatre and music courses along with his undergraduate work. However, he wasn't focused on academics and his grades reflected as much. He decided to leave Riverside and venture to Los Angeles where he enrolled at California State University Dominguez Hills. There he received his BA in Theatre. This is where he also met his future wife of 22 years, Delayna Goins. Later he attended UCLA where he received his Teaching Credential and a Certificate in Film Scoring from the Film Scoring program at the same university. James went on to teach and recently retired after 24 years of working with youth-at risk both in the Los Angeles Unified School District and later transferring to the Compton Unified School District. During that time he managed to start a successful internet business with his wife, raise three beautiful children, produce and direct over 30 plays and musicals, write two screenplays, three teleplays, four musicals, a book on faith and several one acts and Anthologies. He is a member of BMI, The Recording Academy(Grammy's), The Dramatist Guild, The American Composers Forum, The Academy of New Musical Theatre, The Playwrights Center and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. James is currently the Executive Director of the Laity Institute of the Arts a Private Arts Foundation and the Laity Theatre Company both located in Palmdale, CA. James' real love lies in classical jazz, film music and musical theatre. He continued his musical training on his own for the next 25 years until enrolling in UCLA to learn how to score for film.