As a recording and touring artist, James has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 50 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Over the course of his celebrated songwriting and performing career, he has sold more than 100 million albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards since the release of his self-titled debut album in 1968.

In 2015, he released Before This World, the first-ever #1 album of his illustrious career. James has won multiple GRAMMY Awards, has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the prestigious Songwriters Halls of Fame and in February 2006, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected him as its MUSICARES Person of the Year. He was also awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012. In November of 2015, James was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor and in December of 2016, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, which are presented annually to individuals who have enriched American culture by distinguished achievement in the performing arts.

In early 2020, he released Break Shot, a deeply personal and authentic audio-only memoir detailing his first 21 years. He also released his newest album, American Standard, his 19th studio album, which earned him the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and gave him the honor of being the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades. Over the past few years, James has toured extensively in Europe, Canada and the US as well as recent stops in Tokyo, Manila, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.