James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. He is mostly associated with

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

, and new wave genres of music.

Biography

May was born in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. He attended Jackson Prep,

NYU Film School The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

and Ole Miss, where he studied English and Southern Studies and found inspiration in the music of

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

and

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

. May was also a member of a Mississippi

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

group called The Rockwells. He is signed to the

Paw Tracks Paw Tracks (formerly known as Soccer Stars until 2000, then Animal until 2003) was an independent record label based in Washington, D.C. At first only records by Animal Collective were released on the label, but since 2004 it has also released ...

label which has released ''The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele'' (2009), ''Do Things'' (2012) and ''Warm Blanket'' (2013). May was chosen by

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

to perform at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

Festival 2011. May co-founded the self-described "North Mississippi Infotainment Cult" known as Cats Purring, which operates out of the Cats Purring Dude Ranch in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Oxf ...

Discography

Albums

*2009: ''The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele'' (Paw Tracks) *2012: ''Do Things'' (Paw Tracks) *2013: ''

Warm Blanket ''Warm Blanket'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Dent May James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is m ...

'' (Paw Tracks) *2017: ''

Across the Multiverse ''Across the Multiverse'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Dent May James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United State ...

'' (Carpark Records) *2020: '' Late Checkout'' (Carpark Records)

Singles

*2007: "Meet Me in the Garden" (7", Make Mine) *2010: "That Feeling" (7", Forest Family Records) *2011: "Fun" (7", Paw Tracks) *2013: "Born Too Late" (Paw Tracks) *2014: "I'll Be Stoned for Christmas" *2016: "Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love" *2017: "Picture on a Screen" *2017: "90210" *2017: "Across the Multiverse (feat. Frankie Cosmos) *2019: "Why I Came to California" *2022: “Crying Laughing”

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Dent Living people Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi People from Oxford, Mississippi Tisch School of the Arts alumni American pop musicians 21st-century American singers American male singers 1985 births