John James was an original member of Newsboys. He joined as lead vocalist around 1985, invited by members Peter Furler and George Perdikis because they needed a lead singer. He helped write most of the songs on Newsboys' first three albums, and sang lead vocals on them. As many members came and went, James stayed with the band. When success came with 1992's Not Ashamed, James was still there. He sang the lead vocals on two more Newsboys hit albums, Going Public and Take Me to Your Leader. But the success took a toll on James, resulting with him having an addiction with alcohol and cocaine, and went in depression. In late September 1997 he was forced to quit Newsboys while working on the new album, Step Up to the Microphone, with Furler switching to vocals. However, the public did not hear of this news until December or November. When James' resignation was announced, however, the real reason was not given, instead, James claimed he wanted to pursue a career in preaching. James has since recovered, though, and he is currently a preacher in Australia. On October 4, 2009, James appeared before the band at Calvary Assembly to speak about how his career was changed.
Trivia[]
- James apparently had good dancing skills, as Newsboys would reference him in 2002's Newsboys Remixed, on the song "Thrive (Is that James dancing? mix)".
Sources[]
Newsboys Members |
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Current: Jody Davis | Jeff Frankenstein | Duncan Phillips | Michael Tait |