Timothy James is fast making a name for himself not only in the Portland area, but in the music community.   This 17-year-old guitar slinger is known for being able to hold his own with seasoned musicians 4 times his age.

At the tender age of nine years old, when most 3rd graders are worried about being picked first for a ballgame and watching the clock for when school is out, Timothy was watching his father play guitar.  Now in his teens, he's the first on many people's minds when it comes to the new face of the blues.  Following in the footsteps of such young greats as Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Timothy was born in March of 2002 and lives in the small rural community of Mulino, Oregon with his parents and sister, just outside the Portland Metro area.   While growing up in a small Oregon town, Timothy was accustomed to jam sessions where his father and friends would get together regularly to play music.  He was enrolled in Piano lessons for a couple of years at an early age, but never seemed very inspired by piano.  His parents also co-hosted an annual event called the Mulino Blues Festival that began in 2000 and continues to be a favorite summer, memory-making event and attracting top-notch talent from around the region to play. 

It was during rehearsals for the MBF one year that Timothy said,  “ I want to do a song with you dad!”.   That was in 2011 and while he had learned some chords and strumming, it was that performance of Knocking on Heaven’s Door that really got him hooked.  He continued to learn more and more about all things guitar and music and the next year got up solo and played two songs to an amazed crowd.

Over the next several years, Timothy attended local open mics and jam sessions honing his skills and learning new ones from the many seasoned players he was jamming with.   It wasn’t long before his skills on the guitar had surpassed the Old Man’s so his dad hired a multi-instrumental teacher, Ken Brewer, to take him to the next level.   Timothy began to get noticed by other working musicians at the jams and before long he was being invited as a guest player for several paying gigs. 

It was in 2016 that the family joined the Cascade Blues Association to sign Timothy up for the Journey to Memphis competition with the goal of playing during the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, a renowned contest that brings acts from around the world.  Timothy was selected in 2016 to be the CBA’s Youth Representative and he played in various clubs along the famous Beale street in 2017 and again in 2018. 

Since that first trip to Memphis for IBC Timothy has played at the Waterfront Blues Festival, the Gorge Brews and Blues Festival, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, the Tualatin Crawfish Festival and numerous venues throughout the Portland area.  On his 16^th Birthday he was invited to play with famous Blue Man Walter Trout at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California and with Curtis Salgado in Portland Oregon.