Fred James has worked with Jelani Jones, Julie Harris, Byron Bordeaux, Oliver Scott, Yolanda Adams and Cory Briggs. He credits fellow Kansas City natives Count Basie and Charlie Parker as well as Earth Wind and Fire, Cameo, Babyface and especially Marcus Miller among his primary influences.
Fred James spent two years on the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons and before that was an All American quarterback. He sees a lot of similarities between what it takes to create a tight musical ensemble and a successful football team, “Both require a sustained, focused effort and in both cases you are working to support a group endeavor while at the same time striving to achieve your highest level as a player.”
Fred James has been active for many years in the music ministry of the Second Baptist Church of Santa Ana under the direction of Maestro Dwayne Roberts. His original sound recording and music video of his tune Shine Your Light recently garnered over 150,000 YouTube views. You can check it our here… Shine Your Light.
“Before I auditioned for The Dominos, I asked Randell how he felt about maybe adding a little funk to update some of the original bass lines. When he said, ‘Absolutely, that is exactly what we want, an authentic American R&B take on Eric Clapton’s take on American R&B’, my mind starting racing with all sort of possibilities.” — Fred James
“In addition to his skills on bass, Fred is also a great singer and front man and the most naturally animated of our group. We’re not trying to pull off a look-alike deal but Fred leading the energy on stage actually works for us since for many years now Eric Clapton has toured with Nathan East on bass and they have a similar dynamic between them.” — Randell Young