Album Notes

James Krueger - Biography

Said to “probe beneath the surface of seemingly simple topics” (Rambles Magazine), James has been called an “extraordinarily talented writer with a real talent for poetic imagery” (Great American Song Contest Judges). Not so much telling a story as showing it to you, he creates whole landscapes and walks his listeners through them. In his songs, the physical places of his life merge with the topography of his soul; the falling of a blackberry becomes his own death, the flight of swallows a ransom to secure his salvation. James' songs remind us of the mystery and beauty of nature, helping us reconnect without ever forcing us to.

Born in 1970 to two teachers, James grew up in the rural hills of northern New Jersey. There, amidst the disappearing landscapes he loved and the constant pressure to participate in the very society that was effacing them, Krueger began writing and performing his own music at the age of fifteen. Twenty-one years later his love of song, poetry and the land shine through his timeless music and words.

James is available to perform interpretive concerts that deal with nature and the environment, Castkill Mountain history and lore, or just an evening of beautiful songs. He has entertained for groups such as the North American Bluebird Society, the Sierra Club, The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s Environmental Center, The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, The New York Maple Growers’ Association, National Artists for Mental Health, The Thendara Mountain Club, The Hunter Mountain Foundation’s Mountain Culture Festival, and more. James has also performed in many other performing arts centers, clubs and coffeehouses in the northeast, and is a two-time honor award winner in the Great American Song Contest.

His repertoire consists of four solo albums, including his latest CD "Bluebird in the Snow", which features a good compilation of the sounds he is best known for. A master arranger, his CD radiates the inspirations of traditional folk while at the same time remaining contemporary and original. Listeners hear pop, alternative rock, and even classical influences in his recordings and performance. James has often been compared to James Taylor, John Denver, Townes Van Zandt and Garnet Rogers. Krueger has recently begun work on a book of poetry and a memoir about living in a rural mountain town.