Iconic founding guitarist of The Damned Brian James dies aged 70
He's credited with writing the first UK punk single in 1977.
Brian James, the guitarist who was a founding member of legendary band The Dmaned, has died at the age of 70.
The news was announced in a post on his Facebook page, immediately receiving an outpouring of support from fans in the comments.
No cause of death was revealed.
The post read: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James.’
The statement goes on to detail some of the highlights of James’ career, including that he wrote the iconic song New Rose.
On 22 October 1977, five weeks before the release of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K., Stiff Records released the Damned’s first single New Rose, making it the first-ever punk single in the UK.
The guitarist was responsible for writing the first ever punk single in the UK (Picture: PA)Released in February 1977, James was also the primary creative force behind the band’s debut album, Damned Damned Damned.
The Damned was founded in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies.
Considered pioneers of the genre, nine of the band’s singles charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
With a career that closely mirrored the Sex Pistols (they even planned to audition Sid Vicious as lead vocalist) The Damned played their first show on 6 July 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club.
The Damned are remembered as the first English punk band to release music with a label(Picture: Elisa Leonelli/REX/Shutterstock)
After the band’s second album, James left the band to form the group Tanz Der Youth, which only lasted a short time before he founded The Lords of the New Church with Stiv Bators.
The band was known for songs like Open Your Eyes, Dance with Me, and Method to My Madness.
Other bands the talented guitarist helmed over the years included The Dripping Lips and the Brian James Gang.
James had a profound impact on the evolution of English punk music (Picture: Andre Csillag/REX/Shutterstock)He was also a successful solo artist and worked with punk and rock icons like Iggy Pop (who he toured with as Iggy’s guitarist in 1979), Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland, and Cheetah Chrome throughout his six-decade career.
The Damned briefly reunited in their original formation in October 2022, with James, Scabies, Sensible, and Vanian playing five Damned Shows in the UK.
James is survived by his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia.
No cause of death has been revealed.
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