San Francisco Bay Area native James Howard showed an early talent for the guitar when as a teenager he was an in demand lead guitar player in local gigging bands. Inspired by the rock and pop music that he was hearing on the radio, James searched out the roots of this music in blues, jazz, folk, Latin and R&B and he explored all those styles.

At the age of 15 he played his first gig as a professional guitarist at a bar in Clearlake California. The bandleader glued a fake moustache onto James� upper lip, adding a few years to his look.

Throughout The 1980�s James toured and recorded with a string of rock bands honing his style and developing his sound. In the 90�s he fronted his own band, culminating in the 1998 release of �electric rain� on Laughing Man Records. Electric Rain received some great reviews comparing James and his music to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Lennon, and Danny Gatton among others. James continued to tour with his four piece band wowing audiences with a dynamic and powerful live show. The follow up CD "Mayan Mystery" was released in 2003.

Now based in Seattle WA, James and his band, John Stout on drums, Jeff Tolbert on Bass, and David Close on keyboards have established themselves at the award winning national act Seattle blues venue Highway 99, with a once a month residency gig on the last Thursday of each month. In addition, James has signed a publishing deal with New York based Metric Media who specializes in placing songs for use in film and television. 2009 is shaping up to be an active year for the James Howard Band. With the release of the new CD �Celebrate Life� and their audience growing exponentially, a West Coast tour is on the horizon.