James Poyser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Poyser
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Poyser at the Black Lily Film & Music Festival in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Jason Poyser |
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| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
James Jason Poyser, born on January 30, 1967, is a talented American music producer, songwriter, and musician. He plays many instruments! He's been a part of the famous hip hop band The Roots since 2009. You might also know him from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he plays with The Roots as the house band. Before that, he was also with them on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
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James Poyser's Early Life and Career
James Poyser was born in Sheffield, England. His parents were from Jamaica. He grew up in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
He has written and produced songs for many famous artists. These include Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Rihanna, and Lauryn Hill. He also worked with Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo, and Jill Scott.
Touring and Session Work
Throughout his career, James Poyser has toured and performed with many well-known artists. Some of these include DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jay-Z, Usher, and Aretha Franklin.
He is also a busy "session musician." This means he plays instruments for recordings by other artists. He has played on albums for Adele, Norah Jones, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Music for Movies and TV Shows
James Poyser has also created music for movies and TV shows. He wrote the music for the Academy Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers. He also worked on Boxing Day and Totally Awesome.
He helped with music and arrangements for movies like Fame and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. He also contributed to Jeymes Samuel's Netflix films The Harder They Fall and The Book of Clarence.
For TV, he scored the Hulu series The 1619 Project and the WNBA documentary Unfinished Business. He is also a composer for the CBS show The Equalizer. He has contributed music to The Chappelle Show and Black-ish. He even composed theme songs for shows like Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas and Hawthorne.
Grammy Awards and The Roots
James Poyser has won several Grammy Awards, which are very important music awards. In 2003, he won a Grammy for Best R&B Song. This was for his work on "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" by Erykah Badu and Common.
He was also a main producer for Erykah Badu's popular albums, Mama's Gun and Worldwide Underground. In 2010, he won two more Grammy Awards, including Best R&B album. This was for producing John Legend's album Wake Up!.
He also produced Al Green's album Lay it Down with his partner Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. That album also won two Grammy Awards in 2008.
James Poyser started working with The Roots way back in 1999. He officially joined the band in 2009. In 2013, he met Jimmy Fallon. Since then, he has been performing with The Roots as the house band on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and later The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He sometimes appears in funny sketches on the show, using his calm facial expressions. He also tours and performs live with the band.
James Poyser's Music Work
James Poyser has produced and written many songs for different artists.
Songs He Produced or Wrote
- Erykah Badu: "On & On", "Other Side of the Game", "Cleva", "Green Eyes", "Back in the Day (Puff)", "Danger", "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"
- Mariah Carey: "I Wish You Well", "Mine Again", "When Christmas Comes"
- John Legend: Wake Up! (album)
- Rihanna: "No Love Allowed"
- The Roots: "The Lesson Part III"
- Common: "*69", "Aquarius", "Heaven Somewhere", "Jimi Was a Rock Star"
- Anthony Hamilton: "Amen", "Corn Bread, Fish and Collard Greens"
- D'Angelo: "Chicken Grease"
- Lauryn Hill: "Superstar"
- Jill Scott: "Cant Explain", "Talk to Me"
- Al Green: Lay It Down (album)
Albums He Played On (Session Musician)
- Erykah Badu: Mama's Gun (2000), Worldwide Underground (2003)
- The Roots: Things Fall Apart (1999), Phrenology (2002)
- Adele: 21 (2011)
- Eric Clapton: Clapton (2010)
- Common: Like Water for Chocolate (2000)
- Aretha Franklin: A Rose is Still a Rose (1998)
- Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
- Elton John: The Lockdown Sessions (2021)
- Norah Jones: The Fall (2009)
- Ozzy Osbourne: Patient Number 9 (2022)
James Poyser's Film and Television Work
James Poyser has been involved in many film and TV projects, often as a composer or musician.
- 2 Distant Strangers: Score composer
- Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story: Score composer
- Boxing Day: Score composer
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: House band member, performer, and composer for theme and sketch music
- The Equalizer: Co-composer for the score (CBS)
- The 1619 Project: Score composer (Hulu)
- Unfinished Business: Co-composer for the score
- The Harder They Fall: Additional music and arrangements
- Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas: Theme and sketch music composer (HBO)
- Hawthorne: Theme music composer (TV)
- Chappelle's Show: Original sketch music (TV)
- Fame: Writer and producer of songs on the soundtrack (movie)
- Totally Awesome: Score composer
- Cherish the Day season 2: Score composer
- Password: Score composer
