James Honeyman-Scott (b. November 4, 1956, Hereford, England - d. June 16 1982, London, England) was a British rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders. James, commonly referred to as "Jimmy," was the group's lead guitarist until his death in 1982. In addition to his role as lead guitarist, Jimmy co-wrote a number of songs for the band, sang backup vocals, and played keyboards on a few songs.
Early Years and Musical Influences
Jimmy and fellow bandmates Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers hailed from Hereford, England. Prior to joining the Pretenders, Jimmy played in several bands, including a precursor to The Enid with Robert John Godfrey, The Hawks, The Hot Band, and Cheeks. Fellow members in Cheeks included Martin Chambers and ex-Mott the Hoople keyboardist Verden Allen. At the time Jimmy joined the Pretenders, he was growing vegetables and selling guitars in a music store in Hereford.
Jimmy acknowledged a number of influences on his guitar playing (Guitar Player, 1981). Early musical influences included Cream and the Allman Brothers Band. Later, he was influenced by the lead lines and finger vibrato used by Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople. Jimmy also credited Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello with their "big jangly" Rickenbacker-influenced guitar sound (Guitar Player, 1981). During Jimmy's tenure with the Pretenders, Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner from Rockpile were influential, as well as Nils Lofgren and Chris Spedding.
The Pretenders
Jimmy joined The Pretenders as an original member in the summer of 1978 after several attempts by Farndon and Hynde to get him to join the group. Hynde realized, "As soon as I heard Jimmy Scott, I knew I was getting close. Jimmy and I turned out to have a genuine musical affinity." (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).
James' role in shaping the Pretenders sound primarily involved adding melodic lead lines to existing songs to help tie them together (Guitar Player, 1981). Jimmy recalled in the early days, "We did lots of rehearsing - seven days a week, all hours of the day and night. At first a lot of the licks were very heavy - like 'Up The Neck' started off as a reggae song. I said, 'Let's speed it up,' and put in that little guitar run. The melodic parts of the numbers really all started coming together by me putting in these little runs and licks. And then Chrissie started to like pop music, and that's why she started writing things like 'Kid.'" (Guitar Player, 1981).
Jimmy's style evolved during his tenure with the group; "When I joined the Pretenders I could use a lot more melodic stuff, so my style changed quite a bit. Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe had a lot to do with it...They always seem to have nice little guitar songs that you can sing along to, and that's what I started trying to do." (Guitar Player, 1981)
In terms of style, Jimmy is perhaps best known for his inventive guitar playing with the group. Jimmy's playing relied on power chords, arpeggiated or percussive rhythms, "dive bombs" live, and short hooks rather than long solos. Although he preferred short fixed patterns, Jimmy did admit he was "a lot more wild" playing live (Guitar Player, 1981).
Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott have both acknowledged the influence their contrasting styles had on each other (Guitar Player, 1981; Uncut, 1999). According to Jimmy, Chrissy had a unique style he adjusted to in several ways: "She does quite a bit of rhythm guitar, and I don't know anybody who plays like her. It's real distinct, and I can't count her beat half the time. Instead, I just put a little guitar line over it, like the lick in 'Tattooed Love Boys.'" (Guitar Player, 1981). He joked about his other strategy: "I've never told them I can't work out their time at all! They are used to me coming in a bar too late; they think that's the way I play. But it's because I've missed where she comes in! I just bluff it and hope for the best". (Guitar Player, 1981). Hynde later summarized his influence on her playing by saying that Jimmy Scott was her "musical right-hand" and that "He really was the Pretenders sound. I don't sound like that. When I met him, I was this not-very melodic punky angry guitar player and singer and Jimmy was the melodic one. He brought out all the melody in me." (Uncut, 1999, p.62). Martin Chambers later said, "Despite everything the original band accomplished in only two albums, Jimmy and Chrissie were just starting to figure out what they were capable of as a creative team." (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).
In May and June 1982, Jimmy became involved in his first co-production effort for an album by Stephen Doster that was never released (Austin Chronicle, 1997). Jimmy also discussed plans with Jol Dantzig for doing a side project called "The Boss Weird" that was to possibly include Elliot Easton as well. (Dantzig Design Group, 2006).
During the sessions with Stephen Doster in Austin, Jimmy was called back to London for a band meeting on June 14 with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers that resulted in the dismissal of Pete Farndon from the Pretenders. Two days after the dismissal of Pete Farndon, Jimmy was found dead of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance (Washington DC City Paper, 1984; Uncut, 1999). In other words, he died from a combination of heroine and cocaine overdose. He was only 25.
Legacy
Although James' music career was tragically cut short at an early age, he influenced other well-known guitarists such as Johnny Marr, who noted that "...most of all, the jingle-jangle [in Marr's sound] came from James Honeyman-Scott of the Pretenders. He was the last important influence on my playing before I went out on my own. The first time I played 'Kid' with the Pretenders, I couldn't believe it. I've used that solo to warm up with every day for years." (Guitar Player, 1990). In addition, Jimmy is also credited with discovering the Violent Femmes who opened for Pretenders at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee Wisconsin while the band was on tour (IO Productions, Inc., undated).
Perhaps Jimmy's greatest legacy was the effect his untimely death had on the Pretenders' subsequent direction and longevity. Chrissie later said that "One of the things that kept the band alive, ironically, was the death of Jimmy Scott. I felt I couldn't let the music die when he did. We'd worked to hard to get it where it was...I had to finish what we'd started.' (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006). At the group meeting on Jnne 14 1982, Jimmy suggested bringing Robbie McIntosh into the group in some capacity. After Jimmy's death, Robbie became the group's lead guitarist for several years (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).
James-Honeyman Scott is buried at St.Peters Church, Hereford, England.
Gear
Electic Guitars
Gibson ES-335 used for Pretenders debut and songs on the Robert John Godfrey album
Gibson Les Paul Jr. (1957 - borrowed from Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople)
Gibson Les Paul (used to record the debut album)
Gibson Firebird (1963)
Gibson Firebird (Pink)
Hamer (3, one red)
MusicMan Stingray
Zemaitis (1980) Metal Front Guitar (2)
Zemaitis (1980) Pearl Front Guitar
Just prior to joining the pretenders Jimmy used a Ibanez Gibson-Explorer style with a Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory pedal and Marshall amplifier in an attempt to emulate the Rickenbacker 12-string sound on songs by Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe (Guitar Player, 1981). Jimmy recorded most of his guitar parts for the Pretenders debut album using a Gibson ES-335 or Gibson Les Paul.
Acoustic Guitars
Gibson Dove
Martin D-28
Guild 12-string
Amplification
Marshall 100-watt (3)
Effect pedals
BOSS chorus
BOSS overdrive
BOSS compressor
Sources
- Austin Chronicle, Sept. 26, 1982, Stephen Doster--Working Class Hero, by Andy Langer, accessed July 23, 2006 at [1]
- Guitar Player, April 1981, The Pretenders James Honeyman-Scott, by Jas Obrecht accessed July 3, 2006, at [2]
- Guitar Player, January 1990, Guitar Hero Johnny Marr: The Smiths and Beyond, by Joe Gore, accessed July 3, 2006, at [3]
- Dantzig Design Group, 2006, "James Honeyman-Scott of the Pretenders." Hamer Unofficial Artist Archives. Accessed July 30, 2006, at [4]
- IO Productions, Inc., undated, Interview with Victor de Lorenzo, by "Gaignaire" as part of MusiCalifornia radio program. Transcript accessed July 8, 2006 at [5]
- Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006, This is Pirate Radio, by Ben Edmonds. Pirate Radio Box Set booklet.
- Uncut, June 1999, Rock and Roll Heart (Pretenders Special), by Allan Jones, pp. 46-65.
- Washington DC City Paper, February 3, 1984, Hynde Sight, by Michazil Yockel, accessed July 4, 2006, at [6]
Discography
The Pretenders
Early Appearances
1974 - Fall of Hyperion - Robert John Godfrey
1979 - Place Your Bets - Tommy Morrison