BIOGRAPHY

Three Times HMMA nominee Dean James and the Black Dogs are a hard hitting dirty Blues-Rock outfit 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’. Pure caught the attention of newly formed GEM records UK and was signed to the label to produce ‘Truth’. He is now Signed to Autumn Records in the United States and is currently producing a new album working with some of the finest session musicians the UK and America has to offer.

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 award. 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 'Unplugged' 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 Black Dog sound which is unique. 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