James has performed for audiences of all ages in 49 states and 45 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, in Russia, Azerbaijan, Japan, Korea, and most recently India and Israel. He draws from a rich and ever-evolving repertoire of distinctive original and collected songs in more than 2 dozen languages that reflect a global perspective and underscore the sense of interconnectedness we share with all of life. James engages each disparate audience in a participatory journey distilled from his travels, musically monitoring the pulse of the human condition, bringing us closer to our world and each other.

The interplay of his skillful, rhythmic guitar playing and strong, expressive voice provides a colorful palette which he uses to paint compelling musical pictures that encourage individual empowerment and compassionate relationships, while helping us to feel more hopeful about ourselves and our place on the planet. His performances for adults and/or children are spirited, relevant and often humorous.

James uses his role as minstrel to communicate global and social concerns common to us all, such as our environment, world peace and greater human understanding; while employing the uniquely synergistic qualities of word and melody to dissolve language, cultural and other barriers. Once, after a concert in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, a woman who spoke no English found James backstage. Through an interpreter, she said "I didn't understand a word, but," touching the area of her heart, "I understood what you were saying."

Has toured in 45 countries & 49 states since 1965, for countless concerts, colleges, cafes & coffeehouses, festivals, schools, churches and synagogues, conferences & community events

Accompanying himself on 6 and 12-string guitars & autoharp, sings original and collected songs in more than two-dozen languages

Has composed Words & Music to more than 230 songs

Has made 14 recordings (since 1976) & published 4 books (1970-75)

Has shared the stage with the likes of John Sebastian, Leo Kottke, Magpie, Richard Thompson, Pete Seeger (photo), Odetta, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Don McLean, Bob Gibson, Christine Lavin, Tom Paxton, Lui Collins, Stone Soup, Josh White Jr., Allen Wayne Damron, Kinky Friedman, David Roth, Jana Stanfield, Steve Goodman, Terence Martin, Peter Rowan, Susan Werner, Sally Fingerett, Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, Steve Martin, Pham Duy & Thai Hien and The Dreamers, Richard and Karen Carpenter, the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, Stephen Longfellow Fiske, Jim Scott, Molly Scott and Ferne Bork

as well as Barbara Marx Hubbard, Willis Harmon, Marilyn Ferguson, Matthew Fox, Robert Kennedy, Jr, (photo), Marianne Williamson, Patricia Sun, David Spangler, Alan Cohen, Swami Beyondananda, Jean Houston, and others

Concertized with the 100-voice Midcoast Community Chorale (Rockland ME) under the direction of Mimi Bornstein, premiering 'A WEAVERS CHORAL TAPESTRY,' James' arrangement of an 8-song Weavers medley. The two concert events in Lewiston and Rockport, which also included several other Durst choral pieces (hear 'Starlight, Star Bright'), raised $24,000 for regional hunger relief. (June 2007)

Recorded his Rashomon-like epic A Whaling Trilogy — whaling as viewed from the disparate yet intertwined perspectives of the whaler ('Whaling Is My Trade'), his wife ('Thoughts Of A Whaler's Wife'), and the whale ('Whale Soliloquy') for his 2006 CD, Internationally Unknown. The three-movement work, composed between 1969-1973, has now been orchestrated for symphonic orchestra, chorus and soloists by Kim Scharnberg (www.kimscharnberg.com), whose work has been featured by such orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony and the Boston Pops. The work now awaits its premiere performance. (November 2006)

Introduced 'Trio Life' (James, Ritt Henn/bass, Robin Daniels/percussion) at the Turning Point Café (Piermont NY) CD party celebrating the release of Internationally Unknown. Special Guests included vocalists Madhumita Chakrabartti and Open Book (Michele Rubin & Rick Gedney), recorder virtuoso Jeremy Goldsmith and Fred Gillen, Jr. (October 2006)

In 2003, founded Work o' the Weavers (www.workotheweavers.com) with David Bernz, Martha Sandefer and Mark Murphy to celebrate the musical legacy of America's pioneering folk quartet, The Weavers. A WotW performance not only includes the beloved familiar songs, but also newer songs The Weavers might be singing today. With two CDs to their credit, Work o' the Weavers has performed throughout New England, up and down the East Coast, across the U.S., and in Israel. 

His song I Wish You Good Evening (with its lyric, "I wish you safe harbor") was selected as theme song for the Safe Harbor Project, an online resource for information about alternative mental health (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com)

His songs Cycle Song of Life (The River Song) and Starlight, Star Bright were included in a beautiful 4-color, 4-page spread in the new 4th Grade music textbook, Making Music (Silver Burdett, 2002).

His story, Searching for #77, the gripping account of the 1971 theft and recovery of his beloved handcrafted 12-string guitar, was published in Bruce Pollock's newest book, Working Musicians (Harper Collins, 2002).

His song Holiday Invitation was included among those in the 2002 NPR Holiday Special, Peace on Earth, produced by Paul Ingles and hosted by Judy Collins.

Produced and starred in the award-winning sing along children's videos, A Great Day for Singing! and its sequel, Another Great Day for Singing!

Author/Composer of the eco-peace musical, Hue Manatee's Quest

His song, Starlight, Star Bright was recorded by Red Grammer ('Hello World')

His What If...?(It's A Jumble Out There) was recorded by Scott Kalechstein ('Maps For the New World') 

His rendition of the Turkish traditional song, Ali Pasha (on his CD, 'My Country Is The World'), was chosen by SONY for inclusion in an 816-song educational compilation package

Received a grant from the NH Council on the Arts/NEA to compose a Town Song, Amherst Is My Home, for Amherst NH, 1999

Kerrville Folk Festival (photo) 'New Folk' Winner, 1981 & mainstage performer 1982, 1998

Minstrel-ln-Residence, Seeds of Peace (photo) Int'l Camp for Conflict Resolution, 1997-98 and Composer of the camp anthem, 'I Am A Seed Of Peace'

Music Director, Interlocken International Camp, Hillsboro NH, 1999

Has conducted his 'En Choeur' Choral Residency from coast to coast, and in Guatemala and Honduras

Joined by Patch Adams, his wife Linda, and James' singing partner Ferne Bork (1981-1990), sang & laughed & cried with Russians in Red Square, at the dawn of glasnost/perestroika, 1985

  Produced and hosted peregryn, a weekly radio exploration of the world's traditional musics, on Chicago's NPR station, WBEZ, 1975.

  Founded and headed The Songsmith Society in 1975, a not-for-profit artist's collaborative and precursor of like-minded organizations such as Hey Rube! and the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance (Folk Alliance); which produced The Songsmith Series (concerts in Chicago), The Songsmith Journal (short-lived magazine) and the Songs For A Small Planet catalog representing the recorded work of 36 artists.

Toured with and translated into English 15 songs of noted Vietnamese composer, Pham Duy (photos), and co-published with him a bi-lingual songbook in Saigon, 1974

Has authored additional translations from Icelandic, Russian, German & Greek, as well as composed songs in French and Japanese

Has emceed events ranging from a Coptic Conference to a Mrs. USA Pageant

Lead Actor/Singer, Copenhagen's English-language Mermaid Theater (photo), Summer 1973

Had his own program on Icelandic State Television (photo) not once, but 3 times!

Member of the German cast of Hair (with Donna Summer) München 1970 (photo)

B.A., Radio/TV/Film (1969), California State University, Long Beach, appearing in one of classmate Steven Spielberg's student films

Grand Prize Winner, 'Mon Ami/Mecca' Folk Music Contest, Orange County CA, besting banjo player/comedian Steve Martin, 1965