Jim Glennie

Jim Glennie performing with James at Haldern Pop 2013

James Patrick "Jim" Glennie (born 10 October 1963, Moss Side, Manchester) is the bassist for and namesake of English rock band, James. Glennie is the band's longest-serving member, having been there from the first line-up through to the present.

Glennie never really had an interest in music in his youth, but his childhood best friend Paul Gilbertson managed to change his mind after convincing him to buy a bass guitar. Two weeks later they played their first concert at Eccles Royal British Legion club, in which their singer did not show up. Glennie offered himself up to sing instead, and the club manager pulled the plug halfway through their second song, demanding they stopped playing.

Glennie and Gilbertson's ritual, in the very early years, was to get very drunk before they went onstage to calm their nerves – this partly explains why they were almost unlistenable when the band first started – coupled with their own admittance that they could not really play their instruments at the time either.

After Gilbertson's sacking Glennie was quite badly affected initially, having lost a very close friend and musical companion. Glennie stuck it out, however, and remained true to the James cause. He and the band's singer Tim Booth often had many conflicts, due to Glennie feeling Booth was not doing what was best for the band. Saul Davies admitted in the 2006 Q article that Glennie and Booth "didn't always see eye to eye".

Glennie often looks back fondly at the early years of the band, having no money and a bloody minded ignorance to the traditional forms of modern studio recording.

He is also the only remaining original member of James, having been through:-

1. The early years of he and Gilbertson

2. The financial struggles of both the Stutter and Stripmine album

3. Sudden success of the band making it big in 1991 with "Sit Down" and changing to a 7-piece

4. Working with Brian Eno on Laid

5. Nearly breaking America, and turning down huge record label deals

6. The band's near demise in 1995

7. Their 1997 comeback with She's A Star, the success of their Best Of and Millionaires, to Pleased To Meet You's underrated release

8. The band's farewell tour, in 2001

9. The reformation of the band in 2007 and subsequent comeback with the Hey Ma album.

Glennie's style of playing is very much punk influenced as he mostly uses a plectrum to play the bass; but often plays in a more melodic way as a part of the rhythm section.

He has made it onto all James' 11 studio albums and been on all their tours, and served his time from 1982 onwards. Glennie has also witnessed the departures of most of James' members, including Paul Gilbertson, Gavan Whelan, Larry Gott, Andy Diagram, Tim Booth, and Saul Davies.

In the period that James was inactive, Glennie seemingly disappeared from the musical radar screen, and was rumoured to have co-produced work for the UK band British Sea Power.

In an open letter to James' fans in January 2007, Glennie outlined the band's plans to record a new album and tour the UK.

On 17 April 2010, Glennie appeared on Soccer AM and is a fan of Manchester City.

References

• Stuart Maconie: Folklore, Virgin Books 2000, ISBN 0-7535-0494-4