b. Isaac Vapnick, 1921, London, England, d. 1 February 1986, London, England. Originally a dance band singer under the name of Lee Sheridan, he sang with several of the major bandleaders of the 40s and 50s, including Geraldo and Cyril Stapleton. After changing his name to Dick James he was signed to EMI's Parlophone Records label and achieved a memorable UK Top 20 with "Robin Hood'. The song was commissioned for a long-running television series, The Adventures Of Robin Hood, and a generation of children were entranced by James" lusty, barrel-voiced, perfectly enunciated vocal. The singer enjoyed a further hit with the much-covered "Garden Of Eden" before retiring from recording, and going into music publishing with Sydney Bron, Eleanor Bron's father. In 1961, he launched his own firm, and in November 1962, to his lasting fortune, was visited by entrepreneur Brian Epstein, and acquired the most lucrative songwriting catalogue of modern times.
With the Beatles, James changed irrevocably Tin Pan Alley music publishing in the UK. Instead of offering the group the traditional 10 per cent retail price of sheet music, he suggested that they form Northern Songs, a separate company that would deal exclusively with the songs of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The offer was 50/50, half to James and his partner, 20 per cent each to Lennon/McCartney and 10 per cent to Epstein. The success of the Beatles' songwriting team eroded the power of the old Tin Pan Alley songsmiths, but James remained a prominent figure. He had the cream of the Merseybeat groups as part of his company, and also published Manchester's major pop act, the Hollies, and Birmingham's Spencer Davis Group. During the late 60s, he oversaw the publishing side of Larry Page's record company, Page One. After many successful years with the Beatles, James eventually sold his major shareholding in Northern Songs to Lew Grade's ATV company in 1969. His major concern during the early 70s was the extension of Dick James Music into DJM Records, a company in which he was eventually joined by his son Stephen James. As a publisher and record company mogul, he rose to new heights after signing the songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Their catalogue proved one of the most valuable of the era. James finally retired from the business but was forced to return to the fray in 1985 when Elton John belatedly instituted successful legal proceedings to obtain an increased royalty in respect of his compositions from Dick James Music. Some three months after the court case ended, James died at his St John's Wood home.
