Birth name James Reginald White Name White Jimmy Years active 1978 - present | Instruments Vocals Also known as White Jimmy | |
Born January 11, 1959 (age 65)
New York City, New York, U.S. ( 1959-01-11 ) Occupation(s) Vocalist, Songwriter, Musician Labels Slash Records
Def American
Sun Burns Record Co.
SST Records
Reprise
Ruined Recordings | ||
White Jimmy (born James Reginald White, January 11, 1959 in New York City, New York) is the vocalist of the American punk rock bands The Deadweights and The Gitmo Condemned, owner of the Ruined Recordings label, and a solo punk rock and alternative rock artist.
Contents
- Early years
- Time in The Deadweights
- Solo career
- Return to The Deadweights
- The Gitmo Condemned
- Personal life
- Politics
- with The Deadweights
- References
Early years
James White was born in New York City to an Italian father and Irish/British mother. He grew up in a mixed neighborhood, but went to the public schools which were mostly African Americans, and gained the nickname White Jimmy there. He never took it as racist, and has used it as a moniker his entire life since then. In the 1970s, he became a fan of proto punk band New York Dolls, and seminal punk band The Ramones, and began singing in a punk rock band. In 1978, he and Eddie Urland formed The Deadweights.
Time in The Deadweights
Throughout his time in The Deadweights' original run, he penned most of the lyrics and came up with some of the music. He became an alcoholic and also became addicted to heroin. By 1987, the band was constantly fighting, and Jimmy overdosed twice between the band's breakup and his final stint in rehab in 1988.
Solo career
In 1988, he gained the attention of Rick Rubin, head of Def American records, and signed with the label as a solo artist. He released his solo debut, Missing Mindstates, on June 6, 1989. He had a hit on Modern Rock radio with the song "The Fallen One". After touring for the album, he took a break from the music business.
In 1991 he left Def American and signed with SST Records, an independent label, and began work on a second solo album. The album was produced by Spot, who produced The Deadweights' 1985 album Crisis. The album, titled Try Trying Again, was released April 27, 1992. The album found some success amongst the alternative rock explosion of Grunge. In 1994 a collection of B-sides and leftover tracks followed, Found in the Basement Corner.
Return to The Deadweights
In 1995, The Deadweights reunited, and he has continued to work with them. His last solo release, 2000's Electric Schizoids Dream of Sleep, was a self-released effort which included appearances from members of The Deadweights. Since then, he has also produced for numerous artists.
The Gitmo Condemned
In early 2010, White Jimmy announced he would be touring with the former members of the punk band Guantanamo as The Gitmo Condemned. They toured the United States in 2010 and released the album Guilty Parties on September 6, 2011.
Personal life
White Jimmy is currently married to Jen Foss, an artist from Pennsylvania. He has no kids and has no interest in having any. He was previously married to a woman named Ally in the 1990s.
He is known for his eccentric appearance, specifically his now grey spikes. In the 1980s, he had blonde hair but as it lost its color with age, he left it the way it is. He is also known for wearing sunglasses and having a nose ring.
Sun Burns Record Co. was his first independent record label, which he used to release his 2000 solo album. He currently owns the Ruined Recordings label, which he has used to release the Gitmo Condemned album.
Politics
White Jimmy has been a lifelong outspoken critic of American government, and has always been strongly opposed to many of its instillments. In 1985, he was investigated by the FBI for statements on the album Crisis. He is currently against the War in Iraq, calling it "a senseless bloodbath in support of oil, greed, and retribution".