Who is Steve James?
Steve James is a man of deep-rooted passions and the Jamaican entertainment industry, in all its forms, is one of them. This love affair began with a young man’s powerful attraction to the rhythmic beats of the 60’s & 70’s. It blossomed to what is, by all indications, a life-long committed relationship.
Like all classic love stories, Steve has discovered many facets to his muse over time. It’s no longer simply about the beats. He’s now intimately involved with the business behind the music and he’s already said “I do” to artiste management, touring, event production, public relations, radio show hosting, and promised “to have and to hold” the jobs of magazine correspondent and photo journalist “in sickness or in health”.
Steve’s active courtship with music commenced in the eighties, when he moonlighted as a disc jockey for various clubs and functions in New York City while still a student at Baruch College. The romance deepened further upon his return to Jamaica where he promptly gained direct access to the creative process that fuels our country’s biggest asset. An eighteen-month stint at Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO), the government’s designated agency to facilitate economic development, also exposed Steve to key industry players and the untapped potential of the Creative Industries sector in general.
Since then, Steve has been actively involved in promoting reggae music and has done extensive research on the different genres of the music form. Lovers Rock, in particular, has a special place in his heart. He was announcer and host on the popular IRIE FM programme, “Lovers Rock” for three years and has been credited as being the first individual to introduce the format on a large-scale basis to Jamaican radio.
Steve has made several appearances as guest presenter on other local radio stations such as KLAS FM (Entertainment Center), FAME FM (Sunday Sunshine), West 104 (a community station based in Negril) and Radio 2 FM. He’s also hosted the Lovers Rock programme on ROOTS FM as well. On one rare occasion, Steve had the distinct pleasure of participating in the Stony Brook University (WUSB) reggae marathon in Long Island, New York. The marathon ran from December 30, 1998 - January 6, 1999 and was broadcast live on the Internet.
Until recently, he was a regular contributor to the UK based magazine, Echoes, with his long standing “JA Runnings” column – a mainstay favourite for 10 years. The publication (previously called Black Echoes) has been in circulation for over twenty-five years and covers Reggae, R&B, Hip-Hop, Garage and Soul music. Its charts are leading indicators of how well reggae music is performing in Britain.
Not one to sit on his laurels, Steve has continued to find ways to keep current. He has been a weekly guest on BBC London, a Rhythm & Blues programme, and more recently, he has been featured on Beat FM & Soft Touch FM . His role is to give highlights on the exciting happenings on the Jamaican music scene.
Steve James is also a freelance photographer and his images have appeared in The Jamaica Observer, The Gleaner, Echoes Magazine (London), Buzz Magazine (Jamaica), and on CD Album Covers.
You can tune in to him to his program Real Rock on www.bessfm.com every Thursday & Friday night 10pm-2am.
True Love, as they say, knows no boundaries…