Jim Stringer Bio

Kansas / Greater Kansas City 
Music Hall Of Fame
Inducted 2007

Stringer progressed through several guitars and many songs and by age 12, he’d started his own band with a "bassist" (another kid with a guitar tuned down a fifth) and a drummer. The repertoire was entirely instrumental... The Ventures, Duane Eddy, Bill Black as well as some original material. The band performed frequently at parties and social events.

"I wanted to sing, too," he adds, "but when I sang at home, my older brother would tease me relentlessly... he was a little more respectful of my guitar playing. Still, it took me awhile to get my nerve up to sing in public."

While The Upside Dawne was commercially successful, Hall and Stringer hungered for a more complete artistic experience. In 1968, they joined with bassist, Paul Miller, and multi instrumentalist, Tim Smith, to form Tide, an eclectic ensemble whose sound was like no other... a mix of free jazz, country, blues and rock ‘n roll. 

"I learned so much about the craft of recording during those years," he reflects. "You’re always on a time schedule, but there’s no slack cut as far as the quality required... you just have to do top-notch work real fast."

Though the full time job made touring impossible, Stringer worked as a hired gun for other bands, including The Billy Spears Band, which also counts Junior Brown as an alumnus. Stringer also continued writing and recording his own music. Over an eleven year span, he wrote over 800 pieces of film music, advertising jingles and songs, produced projects for other bands, and kept his own band working locally.

After leaving the film company in 1985, he restarted his performance career in earnest. Along with guitarist/singer Susan Hyde (now performing in Santa Fe, NM) he formed The Novellas, rejoining with former TIDE drummer Steve Hall, pedal-steel player Mike Paholski, and bassist Russ Colombo. The band’s sound was "rock and roll wearing cowboy boots and shaking a spear" according to one reviewer. While the band was not a popular hit, they became favorites with local musicians.

"We played in front of lots of people... we did one gig with Emmylou where there were 26,000 people. But we never really caught on with local crowds.... they didn’t know what to think of us. I mean, were we country with the pedal steel? World beat with Steve’s array of percussion? The only crowd we could count on was other musicians who’d pop in to see us after their own gigs."

"This was like the opposite of my jingle recording career... we took all the time we needed to get the sound we wanted. I told the other players that we’d play it till it felt right... and just have fun! I think the proof’s in the pudding on that one."

Concurrently, Stringer formed a "post 50’s rock and roll band", Git Gone, with upright bassist, Sharon Ward, and drummer, Karen Biller. The band often played six nights a week in and around Austin. After Biller left to join The Cornell Hurd Band, Git Gone added former Dale Watson sideman, Lee Potter, on drums. With this lineup, Git Gone recorded the 1998 release, Gone Rockin’ for the new Music Room label. The CD was well received and quickly sold out of the initial pressing. Git Gone continued to perform, playing throughout the central US. In 1999, they were featured at the country music festival in Vinstra, Norway.

"I’m really proud of the AM Band. It’s named for a comment by Lisa Pankratz... ‘there’s only ONE band in Austin and everyone plays in it.’ The AM stands for Austin Music. Also, I like the connotation of the AM band on radio... all our music is based on the time that AM radio dominated the airwaves -- in my mind, that’s the real golden age of American music!"

The AM Band’s 1999 release, Swang, was widely reviewed in national and international publications.

"I got tear sheets from all over the world... Uruguay, Norway, Sweden, UK, Belgium. Most of them I couldn’t read... but I think ‘ge-rockin’ is a positive term."

The AM Band’s second release, On The Radio, was released in March 2001, and a third, most recent CD, In My Hand, was released in May 2204. Most recently, the band release "Triskaidekaphilia". All are available at retail and online outlets such as CDBaby, iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody.

As time permits, he performs, records and tours with other artists including in recent years, Roger Wallace, Ted Roddy, Susanna Van Tassel, Marti Brom, Wayne Hancock, Charlie Burton’s Texas Twelve Steppers and others. Though he stays close to home as a rule, he and the band have played throughout the US and, on several occasions, have toured in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden. Most recently, he was featured at the Mirande Country Festival in France.

"The thing I love about touring is meeting people... particularly other guitar players and musicians in general. It broadens your scope. I’d like to do another guitar record... only on this one, each track would feature some guitar player I’ve met while touring... an international musical quilt. But, first, I’ll have to free up some time."