Chris James

Chris James is an American musician and audio engineer who has worked as a recording engineer and/or mixing engineer for several musical acts. He most frequently collaborates with Prince, with whom he has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, and performs as a keyboardist for the band Self. He currently resides in the Los Angeles, California area.

Early life Chris James was born in Memphis, Tennessee, moving when he was ten to Maryville, Tennessee. He was educated at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro with a focus on music and recording.

Career At college, James shared a dorm room area with Matt Mahaffey, lead member of the band Self. Following the release of their debut album Subliminal Plastic Motives (1995), Mahaffey recruited James for live performances, later being inducted as a full-time member. Playing keyboard and recording several albums for the band, he moved with the group to Los Angeles, California, In the area, James opened his own studio named the Archive Studio. He's used the location to work with various artists, including Luther Vandross, Van Hunt, Ne-Yo, Paramore, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Janelle Monáe, and Kings of Leon. He began working with the singer in 2012, mixing albums such as Plectrumelectrum (2014) and Art Official Age (2014) at Paisley Park Studios. He additionally performed guitar as part of Prince's live band and toured as a sound engineer. and the albums Diamonds and Pearls (1991), and Around the World in a Day (1985). He additionally mixed an unreleased demo for "Do Me, Baby", the single "Silver Tongue", and the posthumous album Timeless (2026). At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, James was nominated in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category for Hit n Run Phase Two, and was again nominated at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in the Best Historical Album category for the super deluxe edition of Diamonds and Pearls.