Dean James

Two-times HMMA nominee Dean James and the Black Dogs are a hard hitting, dirty Blues-Rock band from the UK. They have a very diverse range of  influences, from the great singer songwriters of Billy Joel and Damien Rice to the blues legends of John Lee Hooker and Seasick Steve. When Dean James was a teenager he was overwhelmed by Nirvana and sites Kurt  Cobain as his main inspiration. Think of the Black Dogs as "Blunge," (Blues  Grunge) with a little bit of acoustic tenderness thrown into the mix.

Dean  played for many years in covers bands in the UK before leaving that  circuit to concentrate on his original material. He was soon signed by  local indie label Forgotten City Records, where he recorded his debut  album PURE. This album caught the attention of newly formed GEM Records UK  and was signed to the label to produce TRUTH.

Deans  newest album TRUTH is gaining momentum in the USA and is being played  across the country via hundreds of radio stations, and a short tour of  the US and recording of their next album in Nashville with award winning  producer Geoff Wilbourn is also in the planning stages. One of the  songs from the album ANOTHER WAY was nominated for a Hollywood Music and Media Awards. Dean travelled to Hollywood for the awards ceremony and  was dismayed by the amount of homeless that lived on the streets in LA.  He is now currently writing his third album, CALLED GHOSTS, which is  heavy inspired by his time spent in living amongst the locals of Sunset  Boulevard.

The  Black Dogs are a transient band of musicians with many changes in the  line-up over the years, this has formed his sound into something very  special as he has taken influences from his members and transformed them into the unique Black Dog sound. At the heart of this, Dean has  been a tenacious songwriter, writing about the social and economic  climate of the times whilst trying to find where his place is in our  complex world. He has been likened vocally to Chris Cornell and Shawn  James.

The  Black Dogs music has been described as, hypnotic, dirty, soulful, and  beautifully tender. His recent reviews of Truth attempt to explain what  his music as all about, listen for yourselves