Jim McGorman

Early life

Graduated Cherry Hill High School East, 1992; graduated Berklee College of Music in 1995 with a degree in audio engineering and music production.

Career

He has been musical director for Avril Lavigne, Weezer, Michelle Branch, Paul Stanley (from KISS) and toured with Cher. With Cher on her Farewell Tour, McGorman played guitars, keyboards and sang a duet with Cher. He has also worked with Shakira, The Corrs, Aaron Neville, New Radicals, Poison, Goo Goo Dolls and Marc Broussard. He has written songs for Kate Voegele, Bret Michaels (Poison), Marc Broussard and for TV shows such as One Tree Hill and Smallville. TV performances include Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, BBC's Top of the Pops, "American Music Awards", "Vancouver 2010 Olympics Closing Ceremonies", Conan O'Brien, Regis and Kelly, The View, and MTV's TRL. Jim performed with Michelle Branch on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (episode: Tabula Rasa) and with Dilana Robichaux (the runner-up from Rock Star: Supernova) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In October/November 2006, Jim and the House Band toured the United States with Paul Stanley (from KISS). In January 2007, Jim became a member of Avril Lavigne's band and toured with her from 2007 to 2013. Currently, he is playing with Gwen Stefani and Cassadee Pope.

Regarding the Rockstar TV show house band, he says that he feels his role is a multifaceted one: guitar, keys and singing. "Plus, being a writer/artist myself, I feel that I understand how to work with the singers. From a guitar perspective, I try to capture the original tones of the records we play, from guitars to tunings and effects. Rafa has a unique tone that he really likes, so the more I get the original tones right, the more I think the audience will relate to the performance."

Jamestown Ltd

In 2006, McGorman's band Jamestown Ltd released its first album, The World Is Falling Down.

McGorman said, on Jamestown Ltd and recording the CD: "Well, Jamestown is my baby. I’ve been working on music my entire life, and this is my first full-length record. I wrote – or co-wrote – all the songs, produced the record, and obviously played guitar, keys and sang. I’ve been working with a lot of the same musicians over the years in L.A.; the drummer (Dave Allen), bass player (Jon Button), and I have been working on original stuff for almost seven years. The three of us played for Michelle Branch when I was her Musical Director from 2001 to 2002. Emerson Swinford (guitar) and I have been writing and playing together for longer than that, and David Levita (guitar) has been a great contribution to the recording process. Though we are all pro players and are generally really busy working on other projects (to pay the bills), this is something we have done for ourselves. I am incredibly proud of the record and how we all worked together to make it happen.We’ll see where it goes from here."

NOTE: band changed name from Jamestown to Jamestown Ltd in January, 2007 due to copyright issues.

Musical Influences

"Everyone in my family is musical or some sort of performer. My mother was a dancer, and my dad plays piano and sings. My dad, though, really got me going with music. He showed me the beauty of chord changes. Mom was more of a "word writer." I got my love of lyrics from her. I guess you could say I'm very fortunate to have talented and supportive parents. - Started playing piano at six, drums at eight, guitar at 12, and I've been singing since I was born."

McGorman cites a number of popular music influences, including soul music of Gamble and Huff, and the rock of Coldplay and U2.

Discography

Main source for discography: