Biography
Tony James, is a multi-talented performer, who has won worldwide acclaim as a musician, stage performer, and actor. His career has included work with top artists Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, Lenny Kravitz, Charles & Eddie, Dave Koz, Darden Smith and Jeffrey Gaines. As an artist, Tony co-founded Maggie's Dream, which recorded two albums for Capitol Records. With its blend of urban funk and hard rock, Maggie's Dream garnered praise as a musical movement ahead of it's time. As Composer & Musical Director for the play Raksha's Child, Tony won special recognition by the New York Times.
Tony was also a member of the original American cast of the theatrical sensation, STOMP. However, he is most recognized as the star in the Emmy-nominated Disney Channel series, Out Of The Box. For 7 years, this highly rated, three-time Parents' Choice Award-winning series reached millions of homes daily in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom as Tony played a caregiver to a cast of ethnically diverse children, helping them explore ordinary life through music, art and dramatic play. Tony continues to impact new generations as the series currently streams on Disney+.
For four years Tony was also heard daily as the male voice for PBS Kids Sprout - the PBS network for children. Other voice work includes numerous audio books for Scholastic, narrating works by various authors, including Beverly Cleary and Virginia Hamilton, and covering a wide selection of stories, ranging from the Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel to biographies of historical figures like Wilma Rudolph and Jackie Robinson.
His numerous TV musical performances include appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Jon Stewart Show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Roseanne, Top of the Pops, and the Jerry Lewis Telethon