James Armstrong

James Armstrong began his musical career in London in the 60s as a drummer and singer in the rock group "Mad Eye", a trio of high school students mixing covers (Cream, Hendrix, The Doors) and songwriting. At this time, he also began to learn the guitar and the harmonica.

In the 70s, he animates weekly sessions of traditional Irish music (his mother is Irish) at the university. He played in folk clubs in the north of England and performed with the showband "Checkmate" as bassist and singer for four years. He then began to write and perform his own compositions as a solo artist in the eighties. He performs with the groups "Heads on Springs" (songwriting / poetry fusion) and "Double Vision" (folk / pop / rock / blues).

Then in the 90s, he learned to play the melodeon and joined the group "The Loose Knit Band" which accompanies"The Loose Women", a traditional English "Border Morris" style dance troupe, with which he participates in many English folk festivals. At the same time, he is also the musician in "The Sandgate Hoodeners" ", group of"hoodening" 'traditional. At the same time, he reconnects with his origins and creates the Irish folk group"Drowsy Maggie"in the south-east of England with whom he performed on numerous stages for several years as a multi-instrumentalist (vocals, guitar, melodeon, percussion). In the 2000s, he created two other groups: “Raglan Road ”(Irish)and "River gypsies»(Folk), where he plays his own songs. In 2011, he founded the folk trio"Armstrong & Shoesmith"with which he records the album"Paradise Row"in 2012 The trio performed in many pubs, clubs and festivals.

In 2013, he moved to France where he performed with Victoria Shoesmith with the duo “Armstrong and Shoesmith”. In 2014, he founded the group Bleu Charrette with Arnaud Bordes, joined by Sacha Touw at the end of 2015. Together, they will return to the studio to record a first album bringing together about twenty songs mixing folk, blues and rock.

James' musical writing reflects his deep roots, drawing on folk tradition tinged with blues, pop and rock. Expressed on catchy melodies, his lyrics address aspects of his life mixed with folk stories, real or invented.

His “dylansque” voice, his precise and groovy guitar and harmonica playing form the driving force of the group.