James Yorkston

James Patrick Yorkston Wright, known as James Yorkston, was born on December 21, 1971, in Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland. He is a folk musician and singer-songwriter who began his music career as the bassist for punk band Miraclehead, which later evolved into Huckleberry. His solo career started when John Peel played a demo of "Moving Up Country, Roaring the Gospel", leading to its release under Bad Jazz Records. Yorkston signed with Domino Records and released his debut album Moving Up Country with his band The Athletes in 2002, co-produced by Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins. This album was named Rough Trade Record Shops Album of the Year for 2002. Their second album, Just Beyond the River, produced with Kieran Hebden of Four Tet, received critical acclaim and expanded his fan base. Yorkston collaborated extensively with various artists, including Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, and members of the Fence Collective. Notable solo albums include The Year of the Leopard (2006), Roaring the Gospel (2007), and When the Haar Rolls In (2008). Following Folk Songs with The Big Eyes Family Players in 2009, he released I Was a Cat from a Book (2012), The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society (2014) and The Demosntrations of the Craws (2015). Yorkston collaborated with Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan, then with The Second Hand Orchestra, David A. Jaycock and Nina Langendorf. In 2025, he released Songs for Nina and Johanna.