Bob James (musician)

Robert McElhiney Bob James is an American twotime Grammy Awardwinning smooth jazz keyboardist, arranger and record producer. He is recognized as one of the original founders of smooth jazz, is renowned for the complexity of his arrangements and instrumentals, and his work is frequently sampled.

Robert McElhiney James was born on Christmas Day 1939 in Marshall, Missouri to Albert Lamkin James and Alice James. He has an elder sister, Katherine. He started playing the piano at the early age of 4. His first piano teacher, Sister Mary Elizabeth, who taught at Mercy Academy, a local Catholic school, discovered that he had perfect pitch. At age seven, James began to study with Mrs. R. T. Dufford, a teacher at Missouri Valley College. He credited her as an excellent teacher who also taught fundamentals of theory and harmony. His first professional music job was when he was eight years old and playing for a tap dance class at Mercy Academy. As I recall, I was paidcents, but was eventually let go because my inability to keep the beat over the noise of the tapping.

Source: Wikipedia