Brian James, an important figure in the British punk rock movement in the 1970s, died Thursday, March 6. He was 70.
The guitarist founded the Damned and wrote “New Rose,” which is considered the first British punk rock single. He later found success as a member of the MTV-era rockers the Lords of the New Church.
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James’ death was announced Thursday, March 6 on his Facebook account. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James,” it reads.
After recording two albums with the Damned, James went on to tour with Iggy Pop and record as a solo artist, including recordings featuring Stewart Copeland of the Police on drums.
He found his greatest success in the U.S. when he joined forces with former Dead Boys singer Stiv Bators to form the Lords of the New Church, known for the 1982 hit “Open Your Eyes,” which begins with the lyrics, “Video games train the kids for war,” and features James’ slashing guitar.
“People get fed up hearing Jack loves Jill all the time,” James said in an interview with this writer in 1983. “It’s nice to make people aware of the different sides of things.”
The Lords also scored airplay with their covers of the Grass Roots’ “Live for Today” and Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” and received a bit more notoriety when Bators was dating MTV VJ Martha Quinn. However, the band imploded after three albums.
Following his stint with the Lords, James was featured on the Racketeers 2001 album Mad for the Racket with the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagen, Copeland and Blondie drummer Clem Burke.
He continued as a solo artist for several years before reuniting with his mates in the Damned in 2022.
As James said about his time with the Lords of the New Church in 1983, “It’s not for fun. It’s not for money. It’s a way of life.”
He is survived by his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia.
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