As the guitarist and main songwriter for the Damned, he helped spark an explosion on the British music scene in the 1970s.

On X, James’ former Damned bandmate Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns) wrote, “We’re shocked to hear that creator of @thedamned, our great chum Brian James has sadly gone. A lovely bloke that ...

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon was a progressive rock fan as a teenager, and one song in particular captured his imagination ...

GOODBYE TO A PIONEER & TRUE GENTLEMANIt is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true… Brian’s ex-Damned bandmate Raymond ‘Captain Sensible’ Burns has reacted to ...

Brian James, co-founding guitarist with The Damned, died at the age of 70 on Mar. 6, his family confirmed. He was the lead songwriter for the band in their early years and wrote their 1977 track ...

bassist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. James wrote most of the material on the group’s first two albums — Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure — and departed in 1977.

Fellow band member, bassist Raymond "Captain Sensible" Burns, wrote on Instagram: "While it’s truly awful our mate has been taken I prefer to celebrate the life… and what a life Brian James had." ...

The Damned’s bassist, and later guitarist, Captain Sensible paid tribute to James’ life and legacy via a statement posted on his Instagram account. “The riffmeister, Brian has gone — that ...

Image: The Damned in 1978. Pic: Sheila Rock/Shutterstock James' fellow band member, bassist Raymond "Captain Sensible" Burns, said in an Instagram post: "The riffmeister, Brian has gone - that ...

In 2022, James reunited with Rat Scabies, Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible for an original lineup of The Damned UK tour. Rest easy, Brian.

As the best bits collated here show, solo Sensible traded in the same satirical Englishness as The Kinks and Madness ("Croydon", "A Nice Cup Of Tea"). To some, the Captain's 1982 No 1 romp through ...