Tony James

An English musician and producer who made his mark in the punk and new wave scene as the bassist for Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Tony James cut his teeth in 1975 as a member of the British punk outfit London SS, alongside Brian James (the Damned), Mick Jones (the Clash), and Terry Chimes (the Clash). The following year he joined the band Chelsea, another upstart punk unit, where he met star-in-the-making Billy Idol, then William Broad, with whom he would go on to form Generation X. The band became one of the first punk groups to appear on Top of the Pops, and enjoyed a steady string of well-regarded singles before disbanding in 1981. James went on to produce an album for Sex Gang Children, and penned the single “Russian Roulette” for Lords of the New Church frontman Stiv Bators. In 1982 he formed the electro-glam punk outfit Sigue Sigue Sputnik with vocalist and fashion designer Martin Degville. The group scored a trio of Top 40 hits, including “21st Century Boy” and “Love Missile F1-11,” the latter of which saw its popularity boosted in 1986 after it appeared in the fourth-wall-breaking early moments of John Hughes’ blockbuster teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In 1990, James joined goth-rock heavies Sisters of Mercy, appearing on their final studio album, Vision Thing, and in 2002 he co-founded the punk rock duo Carbon/Silicon alongside longtime friend and collaborator Mick Jones. ~ James Christopher Monger