Jaime St. James (born January 27, 1960) is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

band

Black 'N Blue Black 'N Blue is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, United States. The current members are lead vocalist Jaime St. James, bassist Patrick Young, drummer Pete Holmes, and guitarists Brandon Cook and Doug Rappoport . The band ...

. He also served briefly in the mid-2000s as the lead singer of Warrant, but he left upon the return of the band's original lead singer

Jani Lane Jani Lane (born John Kennedy Oswald; February 1, 1964 – August 11, 2011) was an American singer and the lead vocalist, frontman, lyricist and main songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant. From Hollywood, California, the band experienced su ...

in 2008. He sang (as well as wrote or co-wrote half of the albums tracks) on Warrant's 2006 album '' Born Again''. Born James Pond, St. James started out playing drums, as he had fantasized about being a rock drummer during his youth. He began his professional music career while a student at Cleveland High School, where he and classmates Dan Kurth, Barry Pendergrass, and Ray Malsom formed the

Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed in 1971 by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida. They were a popular band during the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s among the southern rock and hard rock communities. The band released ...

-inspired combo Jet. Pond and Jet are featured prominently in the 1977 Legend, the yearbook of Cleveland High School. The band was briefly a favorite among Portland's high school crowd, and his version of the

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

song " La Grange" was an early hint of his future fame. It was also during high school that Pond met his then-classmate and fellow musician,

Tommy Thayer Thomas Cunningham Thayer (born November 7, 1960) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the American hard rock band Kiss. He was also lead guitarist for the band Black 'n Blue. Early life Thomas Cu ...

, creating a friendship that has lasted to the present. He and Thayer formed a band that ultimately evolved into

Black 'n Blue Black 'N Blue is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, United States. The current members are lead vocalist Jaime St. James, bassist Patrick Young, drummer Pete Holmes, and guitarists Brandon Cook and Doug Rappoport . The band ...

, which gave the two their first taste of mainstream success. Following Black N' Blue, St. James performed with the bands Freight Train Jane, The Glorious Things (which also featured former Warrant guitarist Billy Morris), and his own band St. James, which Billy Morris guested with. Jaime St. James also played drums for the Kiss tribute band called

Cold Gin "Cold Gin" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss. The song was written by the band's lead guitarist Ace Frehley and was released in 1974 on the band's eponymous debut album. The song is featured on many compilations released by the band. ...

, playing the role of

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

, bandmate of St. James in Black 'N Blue (and current member of

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

) was also in Cold Gin, playing the role of

Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...

. There was/is at least one other Kiss tribute band also called Cold Gin. He co-wrote one Kiss song with

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

and Scott Van Zen: "In My Head", which appeared on their album '' Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions''. Aside from

, St. James was a member of the now defunct Hard Rock All Stars with Juan Croucier of

Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...

Stacey Blades Stacey David Blades is a guitarist originally from Toronto Canada, who has played with such bands as Fraidy Katt, Roxx Gang, Supercool, L.A. Guns, and Electric Radio Kings. He has played on the L.A. Guns studio albums ''Rips the Covers Off'', ...

(formerly of

L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...

) and Pete Holmes of

Michael Schenker Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group. He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker ...

. Their set list includes songs from their own respective bands

. In late 2013, St. James joined the live show Let It Rawk with

Oz Fox Richard Alfonso Martinez (born June 18, 1961), better known by the stage name Oz Fox, is the lead guitarist of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. Martinez' high school friends called him ''Oz'' in honor of Ozzy Osbourne due to his ability to ...

Scot Coogan Scot Coogan is an American musician known for his accomplished drumming and vocal skills, working as both a session and touring musician. Scot resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he records, performs and has worked as a counselor at Rock and Ro ...

Eric Brittingham Eric Brittingham (born May 8, 1960) is an American bass guitarist best known for playing in the band Cinderella (band), Cinderella. Early life Brittingham was born in Salisbury, Maryland. Career In 1983, Brittingham along with guitarist Tom Kei ...

and

Sean McNabb Sean McNabb (born September 24, 1965) is an American actor and bassist. While still on tour with rock bands, he is also acting and writing, composing, and singing music for TV and film. In 2015, he released his first solo music as a lead singer, ...

. The band currently performs regularly in Las Vegas, Hollywood, and at various rock festivals. St. James left the band in July 2016. He married Mishel St James on May 11, 2018.

Discography

with Black 'N Blue

*''

'' (1984) *'' Without Love'' (1985) *''

Nasty Nasty ''Nasty Nasty'' is the third studio album by the American glam metal band Black 'n Blue. It was produced by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, with the exception of the song "I'll Be There for You" which was written and produced by The Babys/Bad English ...

'' (1986) *'' In Heat'' (1988) *'' Hell Yeah!'' (2011)

with Freight Train Jane

*''Hallucination'' (1994)

with St. James

*''Americanman'' (2001)

with Warrant

*'' Born Again'' (2006)

References

External links

The Official Jaime St. James WebsiteBlack 'N Blue Official WebsiteWarrant Official WebsiteHard Rock All Stars Official WebsiteInterview With Jaime For The Oregon Music News
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. James, Jaime Living people American heavy metal singers Warrant (American band) members Black 'n Blue members Musicians from Portland, Oregon Place of birth missing (living people) 1960 births Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni