Who is Kurt James & what is his Stryper connection?
This is from his Wikipedia page.

Kurt James is a cult guitar hero who came into prominence by joining the band Steeler. It was through playing in Steeler that he developed a friendship with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Prior to joining Steeler he developed his technique and experience by playing with a late legendary guitarist Steve Medrano from the band West Winds. He has also played with multitude of local Los Angeles bands such as Stryper, Black Sheep, Black Bart, etc. He has also appeared in the album Dr. Mastermind with Deen Castronovo on drums and Matt McCourt on bass and vocals.

Did he play with Stryper?

I did a little more digging and…
I found this on Kurt’s myspace webpage..

I figured why stop now so I kept digging and went straight to the source, the man Kurt James himself!

First off I have to give a big “Thank You” to Kurt for being nice enough to spend some time talking about his Stryper experience. After a couple emails back in forth Kurt sent me his number so we could talk (it was just easier then emails). So I called; I had already sent him some questions so after a few minutes of small talk I basically set back and just let him tell his story.

He started by talking about the band he was in before Stryper which was Steeler. He remembered Stryper opening for them (Steeler) back in 1984 in Southern California. He said that the Stryper guys were very nice and super friendly. He said that they mutually respected each other. He also said that they were the real deal and lived what they preached. He even remembered them praying before the concert and stuff. It wasn’t to long after that concert that Steeler broke up.

He said it was after Steeler broke up that he got a call from Michael asking him if he would like to come play with them. He (Kurt) said that Oz had either left the band or was asked to leave. He wasn’t completely sure why Oz was out. (I did ask a follow up question on this specific topic of why Oz left as to not leave it a mystery.)  He said honestly he did not know why exactly why Oz left. He said it had happened before he was involved in the band and it wasn’t really something that was talked about. He did remember some comments from the band about Oz looking like Donna Summers when he was in costume and had his hair all frizzed out 80’s style and that, that wasn’t the look they wanted, or something like that.

I asked him what was “stifling”? And what was the cause for his frustration?
He said that in Stryper Micheal wanted the songs to be played a certain way like on the album or the way they were written. Kurt said in reality it had to be this way because of the dueling guitars. That style was a big departure from the way it was in his former band Steeler.  In Steeler, he was able to improvise on the solos and what not. He said that he didn’t disagree with Michael it just wasn’t the right fit. He also said that because he didn’t write any of the songs and couldn’t put his own spin on them he kind felt that he was in a Stryper cover band. He said that even back then Michael was a very talented writer and that he actually enjoyed Micheal’s solos parts more then Oz’s parts.

He also said that Oz had more vocal range and was able to harmonize better with Michael then he could. After about a month he told Michael that it wasn’t the right fit for him and that they should get Oz back because he (Oz) was a better fit and could harmonize better.

I asked him if he ever played any live concerts with them?
He said no.

He did say that the rehearsals were recorded and that he would love to hear them again. He also said during the month he was in the band they did an interview and photo shoot for a magazine called “Music Connection”. He said that he had a yellow and black outfit and that he would love to see the article and pictures again.

Mr. James has recorded many different styles of music over the years, including (most recently) Rockabilly, in the form of a collaboration with the Christian rockabilly band The Pioneers.

I would again like to thank Kurt for taking the time to do this.
If you would like more information about Kurt it can be found at:
www.kurtjames.com
www.myspace.com/therealkurtjames
More information on the band The Pioneers visit www.hotrodchurch.com

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