James Basnight: 11-23-24

Jim Basnight started recording solo and with the Moberlys in the late 70’s and led a pre-grunge original rock and roll scene in his native Seattle, before relocating to NYC in 1980. He’s been working live and releasing records ever since.

Armed in NY with his first album “The Moberlys” (on Seattle’s Safety First Label), he received critical acclaim in NY from among others Trouser Press, New York Rocker and Rolling Stone Record Guide. He reformed the Moberlys and worked with various east coast musicians and producers before returning to Seattle in 1984 where he found a more fertile ground to carve out a rock and roll living.

In 1985 Basnight moved to LA, CA with a third version of the Moberlys on the heels of his second album “Sexteen” on the Lolita label (France). In LA the Moberlys recorded with REM’s Peter Buck for EMI-America Records and several other noted producers.

Not securing an album release with EMI led to the band separating in 1989. Jim took his reels of Moberlys tapes and continued to record in LA, leading to “Pop Top” (on his own Precedent label), his 3rd album release (first on CD) in 1993, after again returning to Seattle in 1992.

There he worked live with the Rockinghams in the NW, as well as solo. Basnight co-composed “Little Rock,” a regionally successful musical, with productions in various US markets in 1994-96. Also, in ’96 Jim released “Sexteen,” a CD album with the Bear Family (Germany) Records label of early Moberlys material.

That album was followed by the solo CD album “The Jim Basnight Thing” (1997 on Precedent), a Rockinghams CD album “Makin’ Bacon” (1999 on Not Lame), “Seattle-NY-LA” (2001) a CD album compilation of latter day Moberlys tracks on the Pop the Balloon label (France) and the solo “Recovery Room” (2004) on Precedent.

After the Rockinghams split in 1999, Jim turned the Jim Basnight Band into a full-time working pursuit, constantly traveling in the NW region (up to the present at the rate of 200 dates per year in WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT and CA), while issuing CD compilations of past material in Italy (Rave Up Records 2006), Japan (Wizzard-In-Vinyl 2006) and the USA (Disclosed Records 2008).

After working as a sports website journalist with the Seattle Times, Yahoo and ESPN from 2005-11 to support a new family while still gigging the region, Basnight became a managing partner in a research project on blues icon “Sonny Boy Williamson” (Alex Miller) in 2012.

Jim released the CD album “Introducing Jim Basnight” in 2012 on Precedent and continued his “Sonny Boy” research and shows. In 2019 Basnight released “Not Changing,” which received a strong response from indie radio, specialty shows and widely heard podcasts, as well as notable reviews from around the globe.

Jim’s latest physical release is “Jokers, Idols and Misfits” on Precedent (November 2020 CD) and on Dangerhouse Skylab (August 2021 LP) and has expanded on the momentum of “Not Changing.” Since the release of “Jokers, Idols and Misfits,” Basnight has released, for download and streaming only; “Seattle-NY-LA” (April 2021), “Makin’ Bacon” (August 2021), “Pop Top” (March 2022) and “Early Years” (September 2022) all three brand new to online platforms.

Jim has appeared with acts such as the Ramones, the Police, the Romantics, the Band and Billy Idol and has shared stages with original members of Blondie, Guns and Roses, Heart, New York Dolls, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Janes Addiction, REM, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

In late 2020 Jim placed all 138 of his published compositions and co-written songs with Wixen Music in LA, CA. Jim’s biography on Miller is scheduled to be published in 2022. Basnight was nominated in January 2022, in the Best Male Artist Category for a 2021 Radio-WIGWAM Online Music Award. In April 2022, Jim’s track “Stop the Words” was chosen “Coolest Song in The World,” by Little Steven’s Underground Garage (Sirius XM). As of January 2023, Basnight’s biography of “Sonny Boy” is in the late stages of the editing process, by Living Blues co-founder Jim O’Neal. Jim is also preparing to record new material in early March 2023.