Siblings Amanda Valentine Role Musician | Name James Valentine Years active 1996–present | |
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Genres Alternative rockpop rockfunk rock Instruments Guitar, percussion, vocals, keyboards Associated acts Similar People Profiles | ||
Birth name James Burgon Valentine | ||
James valentine and the new ernie ball music man valentine guitar
James Burgon Valentine (born October 5, 1978) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the lead guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5.
Contents
- James valentine and the new ernie ball music man valentine guitar
- Ernie ball the pursuit of tone james valentine maroon 5 guitars
- Early life
- Career
- JJAMZ
- Discography
- Filmography
- References
Ernie ball the pursuit of tone james valentine maroon 5 guitars
Early life
Valentine was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and has three sisters and one brother. His mother is a former beauty queen, who was a school teacher before becoming a stay-at-home Mom to raise her five children. James is an Eagle Scout. He was the president of his high school Lincoln Southeast High School's student council in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated University of Nebraska–Lincoln and attended Berklee College.
In addition to guitar, James is also a percussionist, playing in orchestra and jazz band in his youth.
Career
Valentine played in Lincoln bands: Montag, Kid Quarkstar, Mondello and Happy Dog. In 2000, Happy Dog changed its name to Square and he moved to Los Angeles from Anaheim, California, where he taught private guitar lessons out of his home. Valentine had also played with Reel Big Fish, firstly when guitarist Aaron Barrett broke his hand and later in 2001, when Barrett fell down some stairs. Valentine displayed a picture from one Reel Big Fish show he played during Maroon 5's appearance on MTV Cribs. Eventually the members of Square and Kara's Flowers became friends and when Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick began looking for another guitarist, Valentine was approached. The band Kara's Flowers changed their name to Maroon. Personal tensions in Square helped the decision to join the band and shortly afterward, Kara's Flowers became Maroon 5.
Valentine is a friend of John Mayer, whom he met in 1996 at Berklee in Boston, Massachusetts. Valentine once tried to get Mayer to move to Lincoln to play guitar for the Lincoln blues rock band Baby Jason and the Spankers. An opening slot on Mayer's 2003 summer tour helped bring widespread exposure to Maroon 5. Valentine contributed guitar work to Mayer's September 2006 release Continuum on the songs "Stop This Train" and "In Repair."
Valentine also played guitar on Jenny Lewis' 2006 solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat, and has appeared in her music video for the first single, "Rise Up with Fists!!".
JJAMZ
Jjamz is a band composed of James Valentine (Maroon 5), Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley/Conor Oberst), Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Michael Runion (solo), and Z Berg (The Like). The group was started at karaoke night at Guys in Hollywood. The band name is an acronym using the first letter of each member's name. The group was means of escape from each member's respective bands. "JJAMZ started at an interesting time in all of our lives. We all needed some kind of escape from relationships or our other bands. It was a tumultuous time, and the lyrics just came out. It was like word vomit. I can't remember." said Z Berg, lead vocalist for the Like. The band played their first concert at the Echo Plex on January 27, 2009. They released their debut album "Suicide Pact" on July 10, 2012.