James (musician) Early life

Early life

Faruq Mahfuz Anam (known by his stage name James) is a Bangladeshi singer, guitarist, and composer. He is often referred to as "Feelings" and now its name "Nagar Baul" (the urban mendicant) and "Guru".^[1] James is currently the lead guitarist and vocalist of the band Nagar Baul (formerly known asFeelings). He has also played back in few songs in Bollywood movies. James rose to mainstream fame in 1990s as the frontman of "Feelings", now renamed "Nagar Baul" which is one of the "Big Three of Rock", who were responsible for developing and popularising rock music in Bangladesh, the other two being LRB and Ark. James is considered to be the pioneer of psychedelic rock in Bangladesh. 
James was born in Naogaon and raised in Rajshahi and Chittagong. His father was a government employee who was later appointed as the Chairman of the Chittagong Education Board. From his teens, James developed an avid interest in music, an interest which his family did not accept or support. He first played guitar with his friends when he was in class seven in 1973. Following a huge dispute with his family, James left his house when he was in class eight. He started living in a dormitory called Aziz Boarding in Chittagong. This is the place his musical career kickstarted and flourished after he met the musicians from the band "Feelings". He joined "Feelings" as the vocal and lead guitarist.

Musical career

After some members left "Feelings" in 1980, James, along with Funty, Pablo and Swapan reformed the band and started to perform in local gigs. This was the line-up at that time-

James- Lead Guitar, Vocal

Funty- Drums

Pablo- Keyboards, Vocal

Swapan- Bass Guitar.

He became popular among musicians as 'The one who can play Mark Knoepffler with the right feels'. After several years of stage shows, they came to Dhaka to record their first album, 'Station Road'. All the tracks were composed by James, with five of its lyrics being written by him as well. Though the album was not a hit, some tracks like 'Ager Jonome', 'Amai Jete Dao' and 'Rupshagor' enjoyed moderate success.

In 1993, they released their second album 'Jail Theke Bolchhi' (Speaking from the Jail). This album was a major hit and Feelings became a mainstream band.

Bangladesh:

James performing in San Francisco Bay Area, USA (Sep 2013)

James sings psychedelic rock and blues music. He has cited Jim Morrison, Mark Knofler and Eric Clapton as his influences. Many lyricists have written songs for James including Poet Shamsur Rahman, Prince Mahmud, Marjuk Rasel, Shibli and Deholovi. Musicians like Lucky Akhand and Manam Ahmed have also composed songs for him. The albums he released with Feelings after "Station Road" and "Jail Theke Bolchhi" are "Nogor Baul" in 1996, "Leis Fita Leis" in 1998, "Collection of Feelings" in 1999. His first Solo Album was "Anonna", released in 1988, followed by "Palabe Kothai" in 1995, "Dukkhini Dukkho Korona" in 1997, "Thik Achhe Bondhu" in 1999, "Ami Tomader E Lok" in 2003, "Jonota Express" in 2005, "Toofan" in 2006 and "Kal Jomuna" in 2009. James later renamed "Feelings" as "Nogor Baul". The first album as "Nogor Baul" was "Dushtu Cheler Dol", released in 2001.