James Wesley
{{short description|American country music singer (born 1970)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = James Wesley
| image = James_wesley.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Wesley at CMA Music Festival, June 2010
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| alias = James Prosser
| birth_name = James Wesley Prosser{{cite journal|date=7 June 2010|title=Who's New: James Wesley|journal=Country Weekly|volume=17|issue=23|page=20}}
| birth_place = Mound Valley, Kansas
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|03|09}}
| origin =
| instrument = Guitar and Vocals
| genre = Country
| occupation = Singer
| years_active = 1999–present
| label = Warner Bros. Nashville
Broken Bow
| associated_acts = Rodney Clawson
| website =
}}
James Wesley Prosser (born March 9, 1970) is an American country music singer. In 1999, Prosser released the album Life Goes On through Warner Bros. Records. Ten years later, he signed to Broken Bow Records under the name James Wesley. Wesley released five singles for this label, including the top 30 hits "Real" and "Didn't I". He recorded a second studio album, Real, for the label, but it went unreleased.
Early life and career
Wesley was born in Mound Valley, Kansas.
=''Life Goes On''=
James Wesley Prosser was born in Mound Valley, Kansas.{{cite web |url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=3494 |title=Broken Bow signs James Wesley |date=20 November 2009 |work=Country Standard Time|accessdate=22 December 2010}} He played music at several venues in college before meeting songwriter Rodney Clawson, who has co-written singles by Jason Aldean and George Strait. Prosser signed to a recording deal with Warner Bros. Records and recorded his debut album, Life Goes On, in 1999.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4625796-1.html |title=Warner touts the Traditional "Life" of James Prosser |last=Price |first=Deborah Evans |date=27 March 1999 |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=22 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105005601/http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4625796-1.html |archivedate=November 5, 2007 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-prosser-p861708/|title=James Wesley biography|last=Monger|first=James Christopher|work=Allmusic|accessdate=22 December 2010}} The album produced two singles which charted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart. Allmusic gave the album three stars, saying that Prosser's "singing and writing … are truly unique."{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r403543|pure_url=yes}} |title=Life Goes On |work=Allmusic}}
After the release of this album, Prosser worked various blue collar jobs. He returned to Nashville in 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/apr/21/8216real8217-turn-of-events-for-wesley/|title='Real' turn of events for Wesley|date=21 April 2011|work=Youngstown Vindicator|accessdate=6 September 2011}}
= Second album =
Wesley signed to Broken Bow in 2009 and released his first single for the label, "Jackson Hole," on December 7, 2009. This song debuted at number 54 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts dated for January 16, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1629347/taylor-and-reba-top-the-chart-again-as-if-you-couldnt-have-guessed.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113182935/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1629347/taylor-and-reba-top-the-chart-again-as-if-you-couldnt-have-guessed.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |title=Taylor and Reba Top the Chart Again — As If You Couldn't Have Guessed |author=Edward Morris |date=9 January 2010 |work=CMT |accessdate=22 December 2010}} Later in 2010, Wesley charted again with the song "Real", written by Neal Coty and Jimmy Melton.{{cite web|url=http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyid=11554246&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID |title=Listing for "Real" |work=Broadcast Music Incorporated |accessdate=20 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713160356/http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyid=11554246&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID |archivedate=13 July 2015 }} "Real" was made into a music video in September 2010, directed by Chris Hicky.{{cite web|url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=4545|title=Wesley gets real with video|date=27 September 2010|work=Country Standard Time|accessdate=5 October 2010}} Wesley's third single for Broken Bow, "Didn't I," was released in April 2011. It was followed by "Walking Contradiction", co-written by Kip Moore, which did not make Top 40. His next single was "Thank a Farmer", written by Steve Bogard, Josh Thompson, and Dustin Lynch, and inspired by a 2013 Dodge Ram commercial incorporating Paul Harvey's "So God Made a Farmer" speech.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/1564955/james-wesley-sets-up-debut-album-with-thank-a-farmer|title=James Wesley Sets Up Debut Album With 'Thank a Farmer'|last=Dauphin|first=Chuck|date=27 May 2013|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=23 February 2014}} This song was released during Super Bowl XLVII. On March 22, 2015 Wesley released to iTunes a single called, "Hooked Up" which a portion of the proceeds go to the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament Charities and the ASA's Keep America Fishing Foundation. A music video has been completed and premiered on August 31, 2015 on CMT television.
Discography
=Singles=
==As James Prosser==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Single ! colspan="2"| Peak chart ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| US Country ! width="45"| CAN Country |
| rowspan="2"| 1999
! scope="row"| "Life Goes On" | 59 | 84 | align="left" rowspan="2"| Life Goes On {{small|(unreleased)}} |
| scope="row"| "Angels Don't Fly"
| 66 | — |
| colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
==As James Wesley==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Single ! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| US Country ! width="45"| US Country Airplay ! width="45"| US Bubbling |
| rowspan="2"| 2010
! scope="row"| "Jackson Hole" | 41 | — | — | align="left" rowspan="5"| Real {{small|(unreleased)}} |
| scope="row"| "Real"
| 22 | — | 19 |
| 2011
! scope="row"| "Didn't I" | 24 | — | — |
| 2012
! scope="row"| "Walking Contradiction" | 54 | — | — |
| 2013
! scope="row"| "Thank a Farmer" | — | 50 | — |
| 2015
! scope="row"| "Hooked Up" | — | — | — | {{NA}} |
| colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! Year ! style="width:10em;"| Video ! Director |
| 1999
! scope="row"| "Life Goes On" | Jim Shea |
| 2010
! scope="row"| "Real" | Chris Hicky{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/videos/james-wesley/576102/real.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006054932/http://www.cmt.com/videos/james-wesley/576102/real.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 6, 2010|title="Real" music video|work=CMT|accessdate=24 September 2010}} |
| 2011
! scope="row"| "Didn't I" | Marcel |
| 2015
! scope="row"| "Hooked Up" | Alexander Manning{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/videos/james-wesley/1235407/hooked-up.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902185620/http://www.cmt.com/videos/james-wesley/1235407/hooked-up.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2015|title="Hooked Up" music video|work=CMT|accessdate=31 August 2015}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesley, James}}
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:BBR Music Group artists
Category:Warner Records artists
Category:People from Labette County, Kansas
Category:Date of birth unknown