Jamie Humphries
Born on 1st July 1971, Jamie first picked up the guitar at the tender age of 5 years old. He was influenced by his father who also played, and his father's record collection, which constisted of the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Cream & Carlos Santana. Throughout his school life, Jamie continued to learn the guitar with various teachers, but never took any official grades or exams. Most of his education came from jamming with friends and gigging in local bands, with his first gig being performed at the age of 10.
During his mid-teens, he was drawn towards more technically orientated artists - with his record collection now consisting of such bands as Genesis, Yes, It Bites, Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Jimi Hendrix and Kings X. Jamie spent time developing technique and writing songs with his band 'Permament Vacation'. It was at this time that Jamie realised that he wanted to pursue a career as a working soloist but decided that his lack of music theory knowledge might hinder his progress. He began studying under UK tutor, performer and Guitarist Magazine columnist Phil Hilborne.
Under this new mentor he embarked on a long period of intensive guitar lessons. During this time Phil began pushing Jamie for various auditions, including Heavy Metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. Jamie was by now working from home as a guitar tutor in a small studio built by his father. He was also teaching at a local music shop. Most weekends were spent playing around the pubs and bars in the South-East of England in his rock trio 'King For A Day', with Jason Campbell (Phil Hilborne Band) on bass and vox. Before long, Phil had suggested to Stuart Bull at Total Accuracy that Jamie would be a great addition to their transcribing and recording team. Jamie went on to write and record several books/CDs in the Total Accuracy 'Jam With...' series. Phil also recommended Jamie for a position as a contributor for Guitar Techniques magazine where he still features each month.
Jamie also caught the attention of Ernie Ball/Musicman and became an endorsee of their guitars and strings and began performing clinics for them around the UK. In 2000 he signed an endorsement deal with revered UK boutique amp manufacturers Cornford Amplification and recently performed at the launch of the Hellcat head at the Nashville NAAM show, USA. By the time Jamie hit 30 he had worked with Lee Griffiths (Trevor Horn ZTT), as well as recording an album with singer/songwriter Dylan Burns, with Nick Fyffe of Jamiroquai on bass. Other collaborations have included Paul Gilbert (Mr.Big), Richie Kotzen, Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Ty Tabor (Kings X) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne) through his columns in Guitar Techniques magazine. He also earned a teaching position at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Surrey.
He has recently had his first book published through Sanctuary called 'Giants of Metal', which includes 20 sound-alike tracks written by Jamie. With plans to release a forthcoming solo album and working with UK rock legends It Bites, he continues to have a busy live and recording schedule.