Richard James Simpson, formerly known as Richard James (born 1967), is an American singer and guitarist. He is a son of Renate Hoy, an actress born in Germany, and attorney Raymond C. Simpson. He grew up in the South Bay region of California and had an older brother Charles "Rock" Halsey who was a member of Rock Bottom & the Spys. As a teenager, Simpson was a member of Invisible Chains as a bass player. The band recorded one eponymous album but disbanded later on. In the 1990s, he fronted a band called Teardrain, which also featured

Jill Emery Hole was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989. It was founded by singer Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. It had several different bassists and drummers, the most prolific being drummer Patty Sch ...

and Mark Reback on bass and drums respectively. He released his debut solo album in 2017. It is called ''Sweet Birds of Youth'' and features eighteen songs. Among those playing on the album are

Joey Burns Calexico is a Tucson, Arizona-based Americana, Tex-Mex, indie rock band. The band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Q ...

(from

Calexico Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...

) on cello, Theodore Welch on drums as well as Dustin Boyer, who co-produced the record and plays various instruments. The album was mastered by Geza X. Two songs from this album, "Roller" and "Taking Sides" were used in feature movie ''The Letter Red''. Simpson released his second solo album ''Deep Dream'' in April 2019. Over its seventeen songs, the albums features contributions from Dustin Boyer,

Don Bolles Donald Fifield Bolles (July 10, 1928 – June 13, 1976) was an American investigative reporter for ''The Arizona Republic'' who was known for his coverage of organized crime in the area, especially by the Chicago Outfit. His murder in a car bom ...

( Germs),

Paul Roessler Paul Roessler (born August 27, 1958) is an American musician and record producer. Roessler was a prominent member of the L.A. punk scene during the late 1970s and 1980s. He played keyboards in bands such as The Screamers, Twisted Roots, 45 Gra ...

, Ygarr Ygarrist (

Zolar X Zolar X is an American glam rock band founded in 1973. Zolar X became known in the Los Angeles club scene for dressing and acting like space-aliens. They spoke an 'alien language' of their own invention. They are referred to as "Los Angeles' fir ...

) and two songs feature the original lineup of Simpson's 1990s band Teardrain – bassist Jill Emery and drummer Mark Reback. Jill Emery also co-wrote and co-produced other songs on the record. The album was mastered by Geza X. In December 2021, Simpson released his third album ''Sugar the Pill''.

Discography

*''Sweet Birds of Youth'' (2017) *''Deep Dream'' (2019) *''Sugar the Pill'' (2021)

References

External links

Richard James Simpson
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Richard James American male singer-songwriters American male guitarists American rock guitarists American people of German descent 1967 births Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Guitarists from California Singer-songwriters from California