James Honeyman-Scott

James Honeyman-Scott
Honeyman-Scott in December 1981
Honeyman-Scott in December 1981
Background information
Born(1956-11-04)4 November 1956
Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Died16 June 1982(1982-06-16) (aged 25)
London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • keyboards
  • vocals
Years active1974–1982
LabelsSire
Formerly ofThe Pretenders

James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band the Pretenders.

With the band, Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of the most original and versatile guitarists of the early-'80s new wave movement."[1] In addition to his role as lead guitarist, Honeyman-Scott co-wrote a number of songs for the band, sang back-up vocals and played keyboards on a few tracks. The song "Back on the Chain Gang" was written as a tribute to him by Chrissie Hynde.[2]

  1. ^ Honeyman-Scott profile, AllMusic; accessed 15 February 2016.
  2. ^ Buskin, Richard (5 September 2005). "Classic Tracks: The Pretenders 'Back on the Chain Gang'". Soundonsound.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019.