James Dixon

James Dixon is a singer-songwriter hailing from Cornwall, UK. With a sound that is both raw and intimate, he has captivated audiences with his heartfelt lyrics, soulful vocals and described as “Melodic, soulful and simply beautiful” (BBC Introducing)

Heavily inspired by Chris Whitley, John Martyn, Neil Young, Chris Wood and Ralph McTell, he developed a style that spans genres. James’ approach to music is driven by the maxim, “Tradition must be respected, convention may be broken”. He chooses from a quiver of instruments including a beloved custom made 6 string cigar-box guitar (pictured), National resonator and a dreadnought acoustic in various traditional open tunings employing his unique style described as “Red in Tooth and Claw” (Americana-UK).


Well known in the UK cigar-box scene, James has been collaborating with Dirtbox Guitars for many years, helping to fine tune the instruments that leave the workshop as well as using various 3 and 4 string models from time to time. Both James and Dirtbox have featured on the cover of Cigar Box Guitar Review magazine (link below).


James self-released his debut album, “Trespassing Light”, in 2020, just as the walls of the pandemic came down. The enforced hiatus from the live scene created a chance to focus on writing new material and develop a more refined sound, with new material ready and in production for a new untitled release in 2023.


In 2022 James supported Seasick Steve on all of his shows that year around Europe and UK playing to audiences in legendary venues including Vicar Street (Dublin), Paradiso (Amsterdam), The Gruenspan (Hamburg), and De Roma (Antwerp). This tour provided a platform to grow his music to a wider audience. Having chosen to introduce James onto the stage himself for the final 10 shows of the tour, Seasick Steve himself described James as “a soul Brother” with “his fingers in the mud”, deep praise for anyone who knows anything about the Blues.


In addition to his solo work, Dixon has collaborated with a number of other musicians, including Tame the Brave who recently featured on Amazon’s “Clarkson’s Farm Series 2” with a faithful cover of Alan Jackson’s “Freight Train”.


In addition to playing across the UK, you can always catch James in his home-town of Bude, Cornwall, where he runs the music venue “The Barrel” and holds a monthly residency.


Aware of his limitations and committed to playing live and sharing his stories with engaged audiences, his songs “are all “true stories”, focus on the largely small and personal rather than big political or social picture. Giving us details of the immediate small scale interactions between individuals that we are all largely missing now” (Americana-UK). James’s music is sure to resonate with listeners who appreciate honesty, passion and vulnerability.