Peter James

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

For years & years I've been hearing about a singer called Peter James.So what! you may say.Well for a long time this singer was supposed to be P.J.Proby using an alias to make occasional recordings.Most fans said it wasn't but a few had doubts.Connections were:Peter had recorded on the "Silver" label & one of Jett Powers' singles was released on that label in certain U.S. states years earlier.Then there was the P.J./P.J.(Peter James) initials connection.Finally the most convincing argument....THE VOICE!!
I was one who said there was probably no connection at all & John Morris also said it was all myth.John goes all the way back to 1964 with P.J. so he should know.A few weeks ago I got myself a new Jackie DeShannon CD "Break-a-way"...all of her most famous songs written for other singers.On the CD is P.J. singing "Just Like Him"..brilliant! Imagine my surprise when, a few tracks later Peter James comes on singing"You Won't Forget Me".I had the shock of my life.....it could have been P.J.!!I knew it wasn't but at that moment I realised why for so many years people had said that they were one & the same singer.It was absolutely brilliant & I loved the vocal & the song written by Jackie & Sharon Sheeley.Now my curiousity is aroused & I would love to know more about this guy & what happened to him.Anyone know anything??
If you listen to the track you'll hear what I'm yacking on about & hopefully agree with me.I'm off now to youtube to see if the song is on there.Hope so & then y'all can hear it too!
Ron
P.S. The arranger of the song by Peter ("You Won't Forget Me") from 1965 is Jack Nitzsche, who worked with P.J. on many wonderful recordings..so there's another possible connection.

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

Hi again,
I've just been on youtube looking for Peter James singing "You Won't Forget Me". NO LUCK! Plenty of other guys with the same name on there but not the Peter James I want.
I did find the song tho' with the writer Jackie DeShannon singing it.It's not bad but Peter's has much more ummpphh!!.
I left a message asking for someone please to put Peter's version on youtube.I'd do it myself but I'm clueless!
Ron

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

hi again,
The guy who posted Jackie DeShannon's version of the song is going to try & find the same song by Peter James & post it on youtube,
Ron

wolfhound2 · **Joined:** Sat May 23, 2009 3:29 pm **Posts:** 2

Ron,

The Jackie DeShannon Break-A-Way CD is available on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. The dot com site allows listening to samples of the tracks so I was able to hear part of the Peter James one. I agree that he sounds very much like PJ in the sample. Too bad it's so short. I haven't found a site that's selling individual tracks and all the other tracks I either have or don't care much for. I would be buying the entire CD - $19.99US or £11.98 - to get the one track I want! Too much to pay for a single. Hope it turns up on youtube.

Herb

PS. Have you heard this 'Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart' by The Furys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL1rO2ymQfc

I didn't know there was another style recorded between the classic original by Judy Garland and PJ's rockin' one.

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

Hi wolfhound 2,
Welcome!very soon I'm sure the song by Peter James" You Won't Forget me" will be on youtube.I've heard other songs by Peter but only on this one do I think he sounds like P.J.
I haven't heard "Zing!went the strings...." by the Fury's.In fact I don't know of that group.There is a folk group I know called The Furey's.They are Irish I believe.I'll get on youtube and take a look at The Fury's.
Ron

Manja · **Posted:** Sun May 24, 2009 3:29 pm

Hi Guys!

Someone was so kind to send PJ six songs of Peter James. I won't mention names as some people might get upset about copyright. Personally I can't see any problem here. In the old days we used to make tapes and now it's burning a CD. As long as it's for personal/educational use and not for commercial use, it's all considered "fair use" anyway, so let's not be too difficult about these things.

Anyway, PJ has listened to the six songs of Peter James. They brought back happy memories! PJ says it's not him, but it's certainly someone with a similar voice. The same fast vibrato and even singing in his key!! PJ really enjoyed listening to it and was singing along to every one of them!
The song You Won't Forget Me brought back happy memories, as he was there in the livingroom with Jackie and Sharon when they wrote it! It's from 1963. PJ said they even made some changes to it then and he immediately started playing it on guitar, in a much stronger manner! Incredible memory! The song then went to Dick Glasser after they were finished.PJ wants to record all these songs!!! He likes them a lot!

it's all the musicians from PJs demo team on the Peter James records. Leon Russel etc. They were a very close team, like a family. So it's hundred percent certain Peter James real name is not Peter James. It must be somone from their family, which points to Dick Glasser maybe... PJ says they all did songs under different names in those days, like Dick Glasser singing as Dick Lory. This could be him, although there are some doubts there as well. Other names that come to the Proby mind are: Gene MacDaniels (a coloured guy) and Jerry Butler. Or another possibility is the guy that sang It's Just A Matter Of Time, PJ can't get his name at the moment.... Can one of you?

By the way I found the existence of two more songs on Liberty, which brings the Peter James songs to a total of 8 songs!

Nice subject!
Let's have some more brainstorming!

Manja

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

Hi Manja & wolfhound 2,
Manja the singer's name you are looking for is Brook Benton.Wolfhound I've just listened to The Fury's on youtube with the song "Zing! went the strings".It's exactly the same as P.J.'s version but a touch slower.P.J.'s was recorded in 1964.I don't know if the Furys was before or after this date.
Ron

wolfhound2 · **Joined:** Sat May 23, 2009 3:29 pm **Posts:** 2

Hi All,

My search turned up December 1962 as the release date on The Furys recording of 'Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart' and it charted in 1963. Good stuff but I still prefer PJ's version.

Being the new person here I can't tell you all what to do but I work for a company that has close ties to the music recording and motion picture industries. My employers get very upset about any discussion among us regarding burning copies of CD's and DVD's for friends or sharing mp3 files. So I can't risk participating in a forum that advocates doing that kind of thing. Hope you all understand.

Best regards,
Herb

Manja · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 1:57 am

Hi Herb,

That's fine. We're not advocating anything and there's no need for you to join in a discussion where you don't feel comfortable in.
As there are questions being asked as to whether PJ did record the Peter James songs from the Sixties, it sounds fair to me he should at least be able to hear them. Alas the records are not for sale or available as download. Of course someone could play them to him over the phone, but that's far more difficult to judge. If anything, this is good for the owners of the song rights as the songs may get recorded by Proby! I'm sure they would be happy with it.

Do you happen to have any idea who Peter James is?

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

hi wolfhound 2 (Herb),
Yes! spot on! The Fury's version was released in 1962.P.J.'s two years later.The song was written in 1934 but reached public attention when sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 MGM film "Listen Darling".
I'm sorry to see it looks like you could be leaving us only moments after you've got here.Please reconsider & stay..the songs were for P.J.'s ears only & it will stay like that.This forum, as Manja explained,does not advocate doing anything that is illegal.
Ron

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

Hi guys,
I'm pleased to say that Lindgren has kindly put the Peter James song on youtube.So if you want to hear the best sound-a-like ever(in my opinion) of P.J.Proby then take a listen."You Won't Forget Me" is a brilliant DeShannon /Sheeley song.Lets hope that someone who listens to the song can possibly tell us more about Peter.
Ron

Lindgren33 · **Joined:** Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:54 pm **Posts:** 21

Hi all of you,

First, I found (via Beargrove´s Delphiforum! Thanks Björn!) "Feelings" on youtube, a wonderful song released by Liberty in 1963 and produced by Snuff Garrett:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WtW-fjDhJ8

The song on the other side of this single is Wind Me Up And Let Me Go -sorry , haven´t heard it yet!

And here is another five singles/7inches with Peter James (The first three of which I have a copy):

1. Think I´ll break down and cry/That´s how I know. Silver records 45-1007. (1960) .
2. My hands are tied/After you. Liberty records 55567.
3. You won´t forget me/I Am. Reprise 0357.

There is also at least two other singles on Reprise:
4. Miserlou/Opportunity. Reprise 0460. (1966)
5. People say/Stage Door. Reprise 0383. (1965). Produced by former Rolling Stones-manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

Thus there is at least 6 singles/ twelve songs with Peter James.

They can be expensive but try here to find used copies:
gemm.com
musicstack.com
netsoundsmusic.com

And I haven´t the faintest idea who this guy is...

Peter

Manja · **Posted:** Tue May 26, 2009 8:56 pm

Hi Peter!

Thanks for uploading You Won't Forget Me on YouTube.
And Feelings is on there as well! It gets better and better....
The B side of Feelings is Wind Me Up And Let Me Go Go. You can find the Liberty singles on the list of the Liberty 55000 series:
http://www.globaldogproductions.info/l/ ... eries.html
It's nr 55627 from 1963.
Interesting list!

Manja

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

hi Everybody,
Nice to see some of the music by Peter James getting on to youtube.He's been long forgotten by all but a few & that's a shame.I hope now that someone can give us some more info about him.I don't even know if he's still alive!
Thanks to the Delphi Forum for bringing the youtube song "Feelings" by Peter James to our attention & I'm saying that genuinely...believe it or not!
As I said in an earlier posting "Peter James is the best sound-a-like ever(in my opinion) of P.J.Proby".Funny now that my quote, word for word is to be found in the posting by Bjorn but without him mentioning I said it originally.Here is another quote for you but not one of mine..."Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" so thanks B.L. & thanks Peter James for your great Proby imitation on "You Won't Forget me"
Ron

Ron · **Joined:** Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:26 pm **Posts:** 216

Hi y'all
Some Proby fans still believe that P.J. is Peter James.Others believe that there is more than one 60's singer called Peter James.Or perhaps there is only one Peter James but he has a variety of vocal styles just like P.J.
The only way to solve it is by using a scientific voice analysis/comparison machine,that would be wonderful.
Ooops!I'm sure I've seen something like that last paragraph "somewhere" before!
Ron

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