James Byrd: up from the ashes

News:
17-11-2007:
Thanks to the guys at baroqueroll.blogspot.com for getting this video on line, The track is entitled "Avianti Etudes" and was recorded 6 to 7 years ago, yet now has seen the light of day.



plus interviews one, two

Also join James on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/guitaristjamesbyrd

Background:
James Byrd got his first guitar when he was 9. He took it up seriously on the day Jimi Hendrix died. He learned to master blues guitar, from players like Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Johnny Winter, Frank Marino, Ritchie Blackmore.

At age 18, Byrd left home and went on the road with a heavy metal cover band playing colleges and some large sized venues and events. His band won the "Northwest Battle Of The Bands".

In 1980, James Byrd put together the band Fifth Angel. In late 1982, Byrd had had enough of L.A. and wanted to move back to Seattle to work with two musicians he'd heard before he'd gone to L.A. One was drummer Ken Mary, the other was vocalist Ted Pilot. This was to become Fifth Angel. Shrapnel Records and Mike Varney signed them and after their debut they got a seven-album deal on Epic/CBS. They re-released "Fifth Angel" in late 1987/early 1988. But it didn't work out and the band split up.

James Byrd set about a CD' for the Shrapnel label. However, a lawsuit between Shrapnel and their distributors left the album in a warehouse for an entire year with no distribution, but still was advertised in major press by Shrapnel.

In 1993, Byrd recorded his first instrumental album: "Octoglomerate". It was this album that brought Yngwie Malmsteen's introduction. Mike Varney played Malmsteen some of the tracks over the phone, and Malmsteen asked for the album. It was sent, and Mike Varney introduced the two guitarists.

1995 brought the recording and release of another instrumental album: "James Byrd - Son of Man". Yngwie Malmsteen granted his only uncompensated endorsement of another guitarists work for "Son of Man", and the album appeared bearing an attachment on it's cover which read "James Byrd is the most exciting, European-sounding guitarist I've heard in years" - Yngwie Malmsteen.

1996 brought the release of "The James Byrd Group - The Apocalypse Chime" with vocalist Robert Mason. This was to be Byrd's fulfilment of his last contract to Shrapnel Records.

In 1997, Byrd returned to the Atlantis Rising name with a new label -JVC Japan, Mascot Europe-and line up. The new album "James Byrd's Atlantis Rising-Crimes of Virtuosity" was released in 1998 in Japan and Europe.

James started his own 'Byrd Guitars' company in 1999, The Super Avianti is a bold and exciting new instrument entirely hand built by James.



May 29th 2001 sees the release of 'Byrd - Flying Beyond The 9' on Lion Music. James also contributes to a solo for Lion Music's double cd tribute to Jason Becker.

Summer 2002 saw the release of 'Byrd - Anthem' and more recently a number of compilation albums.