Jim Lea
Therapy CD album cover
Background information
Birth name	James Whild Lea
Also known as	Jimmy Lea
Born	14 June 1949 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Origin	Black Country
Genre(s)	Rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Instrument(s)	Bass, violin, keyboard/piano, guitar, vocals
Years active	1963-
Associated acts	Slade
Website	Jim Lea Music
Notable instrument(s)
Gibson EB-3, John Birch custon made bass

James Whild Lea (born 14 June 1949, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England) is an English musician, most notable for playing bass, violin, piano, guitar, and singing backing vocals in the English rock band, Slade.

Career

Lea was the nearest thing Slade had to a sensitive artist, and trained musician. Influenced by French jazz-violinist, Stéphane Grappelli, Lea's first musical love was the violin. He played in the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra, and gained first class honours in a London music-school practical exam, before moving on to piano, guitar and finally bass.

He first played guitar, and then bass, in the schoolboy group 'Nick and The Axemen', then went for auditions for a local band, 'The N'Betweens'. Drummer Don Powell, guitarist Dave Hill and vocalist Johnny Howells were already members, and when Noddy Holder joined soon after, the foundations for Slade had been laid. Howells later left the band.

Lea was Slade's principal songwriter, along with Holder. In most cases Lea wrote the melodies, and Holder concentrated on the lyrics.

In the 1980s Lea also produced all of Slade's recording sessions (except for some of the singles), and became an increasingly dominant creative force within the band. It was not uncommon for him to handle Holder's guitar parts on record and sometimes - according to rumours - Hill's too. Lea also produced an album for singer / actor Gary Holton and he played all instruments (except drums, played by Geoff Seopardi) on Holton's cover version of "Catch a Falling Star", which was released as a single.

Lea left Slade after Holder's departure from the band in 1991, being of the opinion that Slade was all 4 of them or nothing. He studied psychotherapy and qualified as a psychotherapist, but has not taken it up as a full-time career.

Lea is still creating music and has released singles under odd pseudonyms such as 'China Dolls', 'JimJam', 'The Greenfields Of Tong' and 'Whild', all via the Trojan group of labels, which are owned by Slade's management. The most noticeable release was The Dummies album A Day in the Life of The Dummies, which gathered together all the demos, and single tracks, that he recorded with his brother, Frank Lea, and wife Louise. In early 2004, it was confirmed that he was in the recording studio, working on a new solo record. In 2007 he finally released his first solo album Therapy which is available from his website.

Since Slade stopped touring in early 1984, Lea has performed live only twice; once for a local protest against a motorway development in his home area, and once again for a charity event at the Robin 2 venue in Bilston, near Slade's old local pub, The Trumpet.

Lea married Louise Ganner, his first girlfriend, on 19 March 1973, and they have been together ever since. They have two children, Kristian and Bonny, as well as two grandchildren, and live quietly out of the public eye in Brewood, in a secluded area of rural Staffordshire.

Discography

Albums

• 1991 The Dummies - A Day In The Life Of The Dummies
• 2007 James Whild Lea- Therapy

Singles

• 1979 The Dummies - "When The Lights Are Out"
• 1980 The Dummies - "Didn't You Use To Use To Be You"
• 1981 The Dummies - "Maybe Tonight"
• 1982 China Dolls - "Ain't Love Ain't Bad"
• 1985 Jimmy Lea - "Citizen Kane"
• 1990 The Clout - "We'll Bring The House Down"
• 1994 Gangs Of Angels - "Hello Goodbye"
• 1995 Greenfields Of Tong - "Poland"
• 1996 Jimbo feat Bull - "Coz I Luv You"
• 1999 Whild - "I'll Be John, You Be Yoko"