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RIP Brian James

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jinglemad

Fri Mar 06 2009, 05:49PM

Registered Member #1

Joined: Fri Jun 30 2006, 10:28PM

Posts: 164

Sad news guys.

Brian James, the station voice of many UK and American radio stations has died at the age of 48. He suffered from a heart attack early on Friday morning at his home in Arizona.

Brian was extensively used on UK radio stations during the 1990s, and was famous for his powerful imaging voice on stations including Capital FM, Key 103, Red Dragon, BRMB, Power FM and the Pepsi Network Chart.

[ Edited Fri Mar 06 2009, 10:22PM ]

Neal

Fri Mar 06 2009, 06:27PM

Admin, Jinglemad.com

Registered Member #1697

Joined: Tue Feb 10 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 529

A very sad loss. Another one of the voiceover greats gone.

c4.mp3

ratnob

Fri Mar 06 2009, 06:35PM

Registered Member #2538

Joined: Sun May 23 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 1154

48?!!
This is terrible news. A great voice and sense of humour.

Click here to listen to The Bob Dinan Jingle Podcast
Follow Bob on Twitter

Barras

Fri Mar 06 2009, 07:33PM

Registered Member #3680

Joined: Thu Oct 21 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 3551

Sad news indeed...when I was at Sun FM, Brian was the station-voice with JAM jingles and that perfect liner/jingle mix was used by several other ILR stations in the 90s and lots of stations in the USA too, Brian will be a big miss to the radio industry.

http://davidbarras1.fileave.com/Brian%20James%20Sun%20FM%20TOH.MP3

RIP Brian James

Barras

[ Edited Fri Mar 06 2009, 07:39PM ]

davidbarras@blueyonder.co.uk

David "get JAM back on BBC Radio 2 UK - get JAM back on Z100 New York USA" Barras

amigo

Fri Mar 06 2009, 08:17PM

Registered Member #54

Joined: Wed Feb 05 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 91

OMG very sad news, I was just thinking of Brian the other day. He did some great vo's for us at Red Dragon in the 90s. He had the perfect big voice. As has been said before he will be missed.

Amigo

JamesG

Fri Mar 06 2009, 08:34PM

Registered Member #2890

Joined: Wed Jul 07 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 17

Gosh. I am speechless. He was on Extra here in the Unites States just the other night

In fact, I used to tune into the show for my daily dose of BJ... where else?!

No one could deliver the lines like he could... "coming up", "Next!"... promos, teasers into and out of every break. He was fantastic.

A voice like no other.

Revolutionised the sound of UK radio when he became the voiceover of 9.58 Capital FM.

Original, powerful - dynamic. And then other stations tried to copy it... They set the trend and in many ways it was thanks to BJ.

[ Edited Fri Mar 06 2009, 08:35PM ]

Bigdave

Fri Mar 06 2009, 08:44PM

bigdave

Registered Member #59

Joined: Sun Feb 09 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 939

Brian was kind enough to revoice the Key 103 '97 Top Of The Hour cut when Jinglemad held the NW Radio Night,and his input really made an impact when we played the cut out...

His passing will be a sad loss to all of us,and our condolences are with his family.

key103_bj.mp3

jinglemad_key103_with_drone_and_bj.mp3

There's a friend I know called Radio and it means a lot to me.....

rak

Fri Mar 06 2009, 09:06PM

Registered Member #522

Joined: Thu May 22 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 145

This is really sad News. I always fancied getting some BJs done with my name on... condolences to his family.

Only last weekend I had a listen (at full volume of course) to an MD of BJ sweepers for Capital, BRMB and Power FM [James G will know the ones I mean] - and they still sounded just great. There's never been another voice like his, and I don't think there will be either. I'll stick some Power airchecks on here over the weekend.

'To be the #1 Hit Music Station, it's not just what you play, it's the way you play them, and we play 'em better than anyone else....this is 103.2 Power FM!'

I might know the words to The Jam Song, but it don't make me Jonathan Wolfert

JamesG

Fri Mar 06 2009, 09:13PM

Registered Member #2890

Joined: Wed Jul 07 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 17

Ah yes - that MD of Capital, BRMB and Power is just brilliant. Your FAVOURITE sweepers back to back to back to back to back (as BJ would say).

I loved him Key; on the Pepsi Chart; BRMB and Capital. And of course Key 103. Not so much on Minster FM tho!

Now for a confession:
In 1998 I took home 20 DAT raw voice session tapes from Key 103 Manchester... rented a DAT machine for and each evening for 3 days and dubbed the lot of them. It was hard to explain why at the time but I am so glad I did. He made Manchester sound cool.

[ Edited Fri Mar 06 2009, 09:14PM ]

Michael Bolton

Fri Mar 06 2009, 09:52PM

Registered Member #92

Joined: Fri Mar 14 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 895

A sad loss he made stations sound like the biggest stations in the world.
When I was lat in the US I recgnised his tones on Extra.
There can't be many in radio production land that couldn't tell you instantly who that voice belonged to. Such a shame especially for his family.

rak

Fri Mar 06 2009, 10:20PM

Registered Member #522

Joined: Thu May 22 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 145

'Hold On Tight.... here comes' - a montage of Power FM that I recorded in a hotel room in Southampton while working on 'What's My Line' for a few days in around 1996. The last show with tube cameras for what it's worth.

I think Power FM was sounding brilliant around that time - so slick! Great sweepers and Groove jingles. Paul McKenna's TOTH sounds great as well.

http://www.davidfurness.com/bj/powerBJ.mp3

Enjoy the BJ memories....

I might know the words to The Jam Song, but it don't make me Jonathan Wolfert

JamesG

Fri Mar 06 2009, 11:17PM

Registered Member #2890

Joined: Wed Jul 07 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 17

A fantastic montage RAK.

The Capital Group and Sandy Beech really knew how to get the best from BJ in the UK.

As an aside and a humourous one at that, my girlfriend was seriously worried when before the days of jinglemad I had pasted on the radio newsgroups (remember them!) "does anyone have any BJ?"

It made for an interesting conversation I can tell you.

RobinBlamires

Sat Mar 07 2009, 01:34AM

Registered Member #212

Joined: Fri Apr 04 2003, 06:00AM

Posts: 417

This and the death of Tim Stewart (ex Invicta FM) the day before is really sad news.

Some of my favourite TOH jingles featured Brian's voice with the Key 103 stuff being the obvious examples.

Radio.Jingles

Sat Mar 07 2009, 07:24AM

Registered Member #542

Joined: Fri May 30 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 627

I couldn't believe we just missed 2 of the industry's pillars - first Don Lafontaine and now Brian James.

I couldn't just believe it, he was just enjoying a movie marathon the other week (Facebook updates). And oh, I was just about to set an interview with him this week for a voiceover article on RadioJingles.co.nr, and ... suddenly we're missing him.

Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Brian James has been the signature voice of KDWB for so many years now. Here is a montage promos featuring his voice, with credits to Neal Bowden from his mp3airchecks montages.

kdwb_promos_july_2005.mp3

We're all about radio, jingles, and more! Follow me on Twitter

jkubiak

Sat Mar 07 2009, 08:37AM

Registered Member #1647

Joined: Tue Feb 03 2004, 05:00AM

Posts: 278

WOW! This is very sad. Brian was one of the best. My condolences to his family. I hear his voice on KDWB and on the Cigar Dave show locally here. The industry has lost one of the greats.

Jeremiah Kubiak
Twin Cities Radio Past & Present
Jingle Montages Online
The Mother of Montages!

Inferno

Sat Mar 07 2009, 08:49AM

Registered Member #844

Joined: Thu Aug 28 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 434

I would like to echo my sadness at Brian's death. I remember him doing Signal One's jingles in the 1990s when his voice was the sound of the station as they didn't have sung jingles at that time.

My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone who liked his work.

Rest in peace Brian.

"JAM creates more than just jingles for Coast 103, they actually create our image, our songs if you will, the stationality..." Jhani Kaye, Coast 103.5

jinglemad

Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:12PM

Registered Member #1

Joined: Fri Jun 30 2006, 10:28PM

Posts: 164

Just seen this - what a voice.

http://www.mystudio.net/VideoLowRes.aspx?VideoId=384

and this

[ Edited Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:19PM ]

freq-ky

Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:13PM

Registered Member #57

Joined: Sat Feb 08 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 444

Gutted.Absolutely Gutted.

I associate Brian with Key 103 more the other stations he did as a result of my time on Merseyside & Greater Manchester in 1993

Big Dave has said it best with respect to North West Radio Night.

My condolences.

Life is like a sewer.What you get out of it,depends on what you put into it.

Michael Bolton

Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:31PM

Registered Member #92

Joined: Fri Mar 14 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 895

I thought thw WIXX piece was really nice.

Michael Bolton

Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:32PM

Registered Member #92

Joined: Fri Mar 14 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 895

I thought thw WIXX piece was really nice.

PPM

Sat Mar 07 2009, 12:32PM

Registered Member #28

Joined: Fri Jan 31 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 48

That's really sad news. He made even the smallest stations sound huge and who can forget those amazing Brian James voiceovers on Capital in the 90s.

Brian James was the best.

RjM

Sat Mar 07 2009, 01:08PM

Rob McCaffery

Registered Member #534

Joined: Mon May 26 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 447

So sorry to read this. A huge loss to radio imaging and without doubt my favourite voice on radio.

-Rob jingles.robmccaffery.com

PPM

Sat Mar 07 2009, 01:39PM

Registered Member #28

Joined: Fri Jan 31 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 48

There is an article about Brian on Jingle News.

http://www.jinglenews.com/2009/03/06/rip-brian-james/

jinglefan

Sat Mar 07 2009, 11:37PM

Registered Member #263

Joined: Tue Apr 15 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 1

Such a sad sad loss. Truely one of the greatest jingle voices ever.

He was big over on Irish radio too, listen to the attachment of 98FM. I just transferred these from minidisc for you all. Done at a decent bit rate for proper quality.

98_fm_bj_jingles.mp3

[ Edited Sat Mar 07 2009, 11:38PM ]

Sat Mar 07 2009, 11:46PM

Registered Member #828

Joined: Wed Aug 20 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 228

very sad news. brian james was and always will be one of my favourite voice overs

RIP BJ

cserpentuk

Sun Mar 08 2009, 12:07AM

Registered Member #273

Joined: Thu Apr 17 2003, 05:00AM

Posts: 50

A sad loss and many fond jingle memories from this guy!

Toppy have put a tribute post up with lots of Brian if interested:
http://www.tophour.com/blog/archives/625