Steve James: “The Downbound Train”

Steve James has loved the blues before he was old enough to pick up a guitar.”I was the only four-year-old on my block with Leadbelly 78s,” he jokes with KUT’s Jeff McCord in an Oct 13. visit to Studio 1A.

Born in New York City in 1950, he inherited his love of the blues from his record-collecting father. By the time he was 12-years-old James had taught himself to play guitar. By the mid-70s James was working as a radio host and musician in Memphis, Tenn. James moved to Texas in 1977, where he remains to this day as a musician and music teacher.

James recorded today’s song of the day “Downbound Train” during his recent stop at Studio 1A. The song, a cover of an obscure Chuck Berry tune, also appeared on James’ 1996 record Art & Grit.

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Steve James: “The Downbound Train”