Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps

Here’s what people are saying about Teresa James and her band:

Levon Helm – “Teresa James is a true original. When she sings you can feel it in your bones.”

Blues Matters magazine - “the girls voice does the talking alright with a knife edge when she wants rip your ears off or your heart out!”

The Pasadena Weekly – “She is one of the most honest, gutsy, incredible singers you'll find. The Texas-bred James takes creative chances, investing amazing soul and spirit in her music.”

Teresa James was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She starting playing piano at 5 and hasn’t stopped since. Called a singer’s singer by many, she has recorded with Walter Trout, Eric Burdon, Spencer Davis, Tommy Castro, Stephen Bruton, Randy Newman, LeeRoy Parnell, Neil Diamond, and many others. She has performed live with lots of other artists, including: Marcia Ball, Levon Helm, Lloyd Jones, Delbert McClinton, and Eric Burdon & the Animals to mention just a few.

Relocating to Los Angeles in the 80’s, her band, the Rhythm Tramps, is made up of world class players that have toured or recorded with such artists as Eric Burdon & the Animals, Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Taj Mahal, Jimmy Reed, Lightin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Vaughan, Johnny Nash, just to name a few and their songs have been recorded by many other artists. They move easily through Texas style grease and blues into Memphis soul or New Orleans flavored grooves and all points in between. In addition to having toured all over N. America and Europe, she has been one of the featured acts on Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Cruise for over 20 years.

Her recordings have met with rave reviews (including several 4 star reviews from Downbeat Magazine) and have shown up on radio charts all over the world. Her 2019 release, ‘Here In Babylon’ was nominated for a Grammy for Contemporary Blues Album. She was nominated in 2008, 2022 and 2023 by the Blues Foundation for “Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year” and her last release, an album of Beatle songs reimagined from a blues/soul perspective was released in January 2023 and debuted at #9 on the Billboard Blues sales chart. She and the band just released “Rose Colored Glasses, Vol.2 - a CD of songs written and recorded during the pandemic.

A final note from Bill Bentley for Sonic Boomers: “This is the stuff they don't teach you in school… These are the keepers of the unknown language. Teresa’s voice is all-knowing, like she's been to the places most of us aren't able to go. It is a mixture of rejection and redemption, … be glad there are still people like Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps who care enough to do this and share their spirits. Each and every one of them should receive a letter jacket with a big "S" for soul on it. Class dismissed.