Biography.guide
Home › People › Engineer › Ethan James
Portrait of Ethan James

Ethan James

1946 – 2003

American musician

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ethan James

Lived 1946 – 2003 (aged 56–57). Ethan James was an American engineer and audio engineer.

Ralph Burns Kellogg (August 2, 1946 – June 19, 2003), also known as Ethan James, was an American musician, record producer, and recording engineer best known for his work on Minutemen's seminal album Double Nickels on the Dime. He also produced and engineered albums for Black Flag, The Bangles, Rain Parade, Dos, and many others. Many of these recordings were undertaken at Radio Tokyo Studio, the recording facility he founded in the early 1980s.

Under his real name, he was a member of the heavy metal band Blue Cheer from 1969 to 1972. He was considered a master of the hurdy-gurdy, a medieval instrument, and was also noted for playing the symphonium. James returned to performing in 1989 and performed with the San Francisco Mozart Festival Orchestra, among others.

James died of complications from liver cancer in San Francisco at the age of 56.

Selected discography Shaking Hands With Kafka (Moll Tonträger, 1993) What Rough Beast (Moll Tonträger, 1995) The Ancient Music Of Christmas (Hannibal Records, 1996) A Garden Of Hurdy-Gurdy Delights (Taqsim Records, 1997) Learning Chinese The Hard Way (Stonegarden Records, 2002)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1946
Birth century
Nationality

People in Ethan James's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ethan James's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ethan James?

American musician

When was Ethan James born?

Ethan James was born in 1946.

When did Ethan James die?

Ethan James died on 19 June 2003.

What was Ethan James's occupation?

Ethan James was an engineer and audio engineer.

What nationality was Ethan James?

Ethan James was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ethan James

· Wikidata: Q15502284

· DBpedia: Ethan James (producer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ethan James. https://biography.guide/ethan-james-engineer/

MLA: "Ethan James." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ethan-james-engineer/.

Chicago: "Ethan James." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ethan-james-engineer/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:33 UTC