Jim Garrett

Born on the 12th August 1968 near Birmingham England to a Cypriot father and Irish mother, the youngest of three children. Jim's father, a hotelier, moved around England for his job, taking the family with him when he went to a new hotel every 1 or 2 years.

Jim was already entertaining from the age of 8 years old, playing and singing songs with his guitar for family and friends. If no instrument was available then comedy and vocal imitations of John Wayne or Ronald Reagan were amongst his repertoire.

Jim had been in the choir at church through most of his younger years and enjoyed being involved in music and acting in the various school productions.

Jim's first vocation was in the sporting arena, an excellent rugby player and athlete competing at national and international level. After leaving school, Jim worked as a windsurfing and mountain biking instructor in central France. Following this he became a sports teacher back in England and then in Australia at Riverview in Sydney in 1988.

After a year in Australia, he returned to France to the Massif Central where he joined a first division rugby team. He stayed for 3 years playing rugby and working as an English teacher while music became a greater interest.

Jim played his first official solo concert at the hotel de la poste, owned by one of his friends Lisa, and was immediately a success . After 2 years of playing he said goodbye to rugby and to teaching and packed his bags for the Alps where he started Ski Guiding during the day and playing in a variety of bars and hotels in the night.

In 1995 he recorded his first album produced by Laurent Chatourel under the small label “roots force” writing three of the songs himself and covering some songs that he liked at that time. This album has sold 5000 copies from the concerts that Jim and the band played. Still most of the year he played in a smaller formation of two guitarists and Jim on lead vocals.

After playing many seasons in the Alps and traveling to play in France, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Jim decided it was time to go to the Cote D'Azur.

It did not take long before Jim was accepted as the most versatile voice in the bay of St Tropez, playing a 2 hour solo guitar voice and harmonica show every evening in May, June, July, August and September covering the great songs of pop and rock and then playing in the piano bars of St Tropez and Monaco as the style changes to Sinatra, Lionel Richie and many more. You can often catch Jim late at night in St Tropez at the Octave Café jamming with friends late into the night.

Jim's passion for music shows in the 300 concerts each year through 20 countries over 10 years as a professional musician always captivating his public with one of the 800 songs he knows and plays in such an authentic way.

Jim lives around Europe and at the moment can be found every summer playing to 200 people per night in the bay of St Tropez and with every song he sings you will see on his face the enjoyment and determination that the music gives him.