James “Sunny Jim” White was born in San Antonio, Texas. His earliest memories of live music are steeped in the sounds of the Texas swing bands to which his parents danced. The Texas twang of his guitar is part of his sound even today. James spent part of his adolescence on the Texas Gulf Coast in Corpus Christi, which sparked in him a love for the beach, surf music and the mystery of the eternal sea.
The White family moved to Southern California during the height of the Psychedelic Era (1969) where he soaked up the FM radio sounds of the times, with Motown, Memphis, the LA sound, and of course the San Francisco sound adding to the mix. Around this time James first picked up a guitar, and soon developed a passion that turned into a career.
Several years later, while pursuing music in Nashville, TN, he joined a band headed to the Cayman Islands for a year-long gig. The band left at the end of the contract, but James White had discovered his Caribbean soul and stayed.
He landed a gig at the world-class Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman and Britannia Resort where he was artist-in-residence for more than a
decade. Life in the Caribbean was good! “Sunny Jim” soaked up the sights and sounds of the West Indies and put them in his music, and he even taught himself to play the pan (steel drum).
The Cayman Islands is a crossroads for travelers from all corners of the world, and real characters ended up in his songs. Friendships forged there remain strong today, so his circle of friends extends to several ports of call in the islands. In 2000 Sunny Jim left the expatriate life and moved to Florida’s beautiful Suncoast, where he is now at home.
He is a regular on Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, broadcasted on Sirius Satellite radio. Sunny Jim’s relationship with Radio Margaritaville began in 1997 when Radio Margaritaville broadcasted his show live via the internet from the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach.
For the past ten years, Sunny Jim has been an invited performer for “Meeting of the Minds,” the annual national Parrot Head Convention held in Key West, FL. He has also hosted fellow tropical troubadors at his yearly Sunday Songwriter’s Showcase at Blue Heaven, which has become a “must-attend” event for many wrapping up a wild weekend in Key West. Sunny Jim is also host of the annual Six String Music Festival in New Orleans.
He enjoys performing for purveyors of the island lifestyle from coast to coast. His schedule takes him to cities such as New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Atlanta, Key West, Houston, Richmond and Phoenix among many others. His travels have also included going back to the Caribbean to perform in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, the Bahamas and of course his old home, the Cayman Islands.
A versatile performer and musician, Sunny Jim is available as a solo act or with a full band, for events large and small. From wild Parrot Head parties to intimate backyard concerts, he is “living what he loves and lovin what he lives.”
I’m honored and pleased to announce that I’ve been asked to open for songwriter 
As most of you probably know there’s a lot going on with me in 2013. I’m very excited about the new CD I’m working on again with Kevin Johnston at Orca Sound Studios. I’ve been working most of the day on a new website with a new, fresh look and getting my very busy summer schedule updated. Here’s the skinny:
