Sometimes you find a band that is just so enjoyable to listen to that you want to learn more about them. When this happens, you usually delve into their discography to see what other songs they have written and whether or not these are worth checking out. While doing this, you come across an entry which stands out from the rest.
The band in question is Meatloaf and the out of the ordinary entry is “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, a song that was co-written by their bass player named James Stroud. After hearing this, you’re probably wondering what other songs Stroud has written and if any of them are worth listening to. Thanks to YouTube, you can now find out!
Here’s a Short Bio on James Stroud
The son of a church organist, James Stroud was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1965. When he was six years old, his family moved to Littleton, Colorado, a small town about an hour outside of Denver. Though he showed an early interest in music, his parents didn’t see a future in it and discouraged him from playing music throughout high school. After graduating from high school, Stroud moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. He landed a job at a coffee shop and saved up enough money to buy an electric guitar. He eventually moved back to Denver and started playing music in local bars and restaurants.
Stroud met singer-songwriter Richard Marx while playing in a local bar and the two of them started a band together. They soon found success with their covers of Led Zeppelin songs and in 1989, they released their self-titled debut album. The following year, they released a live album which featured Jimmy Barnes of Led Zeppelin as a guest vocalist. Their popularity increased after that and they released two more studio albums in the early 1990s. Sadly, after the release of their fourth album, tensions began to arise between the singer and bass player. At one point, Richard even stopped paying Stroud. Though they eventually made up and continued with their recording career, they never really recovered from the blow this incident caused to their partnership.
In 1997, Richard and James met again while recording an album in London. They ended up writing and co-writing songs for the album and, in 2001, they released the collection of new songs they’d written together. The following year, they released a live album from their London concert which was followed by two more studio albums in 2005 and 2012. In 2015, Stroud joined the ranks of the homeless when he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Though the charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor, he was forced to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his probation.
Here’s a List of All the Songs Written by James Stroud
Though he’s one of the better-known bass players in the world today, James Stroud is still considered a relatively unknown commodity among music fans. This, however, should not be the case as he’s actually had quite a successful career as a songwriter, especially in the realm of country music. To date, he’s written over forty songs and three of them became #1 hits. Since he usually works with other songwriters, his own songwriting credits are rarely included in music biographies and autobiographies. The table below will list all the songs Stroud has written along with their respective artists and the years they were released.
#1 Hitmaker
Though James Stroud has never been considered a “one-hit wonder”, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not know the song “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. The song was co-written by Stroud and Richard Marx and it became the bass player’s biggest hit to date. The song was released in 1989 and, as of 2020, has accumulated over 40 million views on YouTube. According to reports, over 1.5 million copies of the song were sold during the first week of its release and it eventually went on to sell over 3 million copies worldwide.
The song was featured on an episode of The Simpsons in 1993 and, in 2019, the song was revived when Lisa Simpson sang it as part of a tribute to deceased singer-songwriter Prince. In 2021, Stroud will be releasing an album of all the songs he’s written throughout his career.
One of the Most Successful Duos in Country Music
Though a solo artist can also be a successful songwriter, James Stroud is best known as one half of the country music duo Richards & Stroud. Along with colleague and partner Richard Marx, they’ve written over sixty songs together and the bulk of these songs have become #1 hits for Marx. As of 2020, these two have written two of the most successful duos in country music history. The first and largest of these duos is named Sawyer & Stroud and their song “Sawyer’s Green Eyes” was released in 1997. The duo followed this up with another smash hit called “Too Good to Be True (Friend)” which was released in 2003. In 2019, these two wrote their thirteenth song together and it became their fifth consecutive #1 single. This is certainly an impressive feat for any songwriter, especially since the vast majority of their songs are duets (in which they each contribute a song).
The Most Successful Male Singer in Country Music History
Though he’s penned more than fifty songs throughout his career, James Stroud is arguably best known as the lead singer of the country music band the Strouds. His brother, Glenn, is also an accomplished singer-songwriter who has often collaborated with James on songs. Together, they’ve written four #1 hits, as well as numerous Top 5 songs. Their biggest hit as a team is “Live Together, Die Alone” which reached #2 on the Billboard charts in 2001. Sadly, this was to be Glenn’s last hit as he passed away in 2019 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Glenn wrote all of James’ songs until his death, however, he did not officially release any of them as solo albums. It’s clear that the brotherly collaboration was so special to both men that they considered it to be equal parts theirs.
The Man Behind the Mascot
Though the name James Stroud is usually associated with the “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” song, it is actually the case that he didn’t contribute actually write the song. Rather, the credit goes to another man named Dale Anderson. Anderson was the head writer for the Disney Channel at the time and, in 1988, he contacted James’ agent about the possibility of the bass player writing music for the network. Though they initially turned Anderson down, the agent eventually got the duo to meet with him and they ended up signing a development contract with the studio. The next year, they released their self-titled debut album and went on to become one of the most popular and respected new bands in country music history. Several of their songs were featured on the soundtracks of various films and TV shows including Pretty Woman and Stand By Me, along with dozens of commercials.
After the release of their self-titled album, the duo started receiving attention from Hollywood and they were eventually signed to a seven-figure movie contract. Though they made several movies together, the ones that are most memorable are the ones in which they were paired with the comedy troupe The Lonely Island. In 2009, they appeared in an episode of The Simpsons as themselves where they performed “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” as an encore. The following year, they released a greatest hits album called “90s All-Stars” which featured several of their chart-topping hits from the ’80s and ’90s.
A Legendary Vocalist
Though he’s never been considered great in the studio, James Stroud is one of the most successful vocalists in country music history. He’s definitely been overlooked in this department, however, he deserves some credit for being one of the more innovative vocalists of his generation. This can be heard in the way he uses his voice in his music, especially in songs like “I Wouldn’t Hurt a Fly” or “I Got a Feelin'”.