James Honeyman-Scott - The Pretenders

The Pretenders

During the mid 1970s, Honeyman-Scott met future Pretenders bandmate Pete Farndon while the bassist was playing with Cold River Lady in Hereford (Melody Maker, 1979). In 1978, Farndon recruited Honeyman-Scott for a series of Pretenders rehearsals and recording sessions, and he officially joined the group that summer (New Musical Express, 1980). Chrissie Hynde recalled, "As soon as I heard Jimmy Scott, I knew I was getting close. Jimmy and I turned out to have a genuine musical affinity" (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).

Honeyman-Scott's role in shaping the Pretenders' sound primarily involved adding melodic lead lines to existing songs to help tie them together (Guitar Player, 1981). He recalled in the early days, "We did lots of rehearsing - seven days a week, all hours of the day and night. At first a lot of the licks were very heavy - like 'Up the Neck' started off as a reggae song. I said, 'Let's speed it up,' and put in that little guitar run. The melodic parts of the numbers really all started coming together by me putting in these little runs and licks. And then Chrissie started to like pop music, and that's why she started writing things like 'Kid'" (Guitar Player, 1981).

His style evolved during his tenure with the group: "When I joined the Pretenders I could use a lot more melodic stuff, so my style changed quite a bit. Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe had a lot to do with it.... They always seem to have nice little guitar songs that you can sing along to, and that's what I started trying to do" (Guitar Player, 1981).

In terms of style, Honeyman-Scott is perhaps best known for his inventive guitar playing with the group. His playing relied on power chords, arpeggiated or percussive rhythms, "dive bombs" live, and short hooks rather than long solos. Although he preferred short fixed patterns, he did admit he was "a lot more wild" playing live (Guitar Player, 1981).

Hynde and Honeyman-Scott have both acknowledged the influence their contrasting styles had on each other (Guitar Player, 1981; Uncut, 1999). According to Honeyman-Scott, Hynde had a unique style he adjusted to in several ways: "She does quite a bit of rhythm guitar, and I don't know anybody who plays like her. It's real distinct, and I can't count her beat half the time. Instead, I just put a little guitar line over it, like the lick in 'Tattooed Love Boys'" (Guitar Player, 1981). He joked about his other strategy: "I've never told them I can't work out their time at all! They are used to me coming in a bar too late; they think that's the way I play. But it's because I've missed where she comes in! I just bluff it and hope for the best" (Guitar Player, 1981). Hynde later summarised his influence on her playing by saying that Honeyman-Scott was her "musical right-hand" and that "he really was the Pretenders sound. I don't sound like that. When I met him, I was this not-very melodic punky angry guitar player and singer and Jimmy was the melodic one. He brought out all the melody in me" (Uncut, 1999, p. 62). Chambers later said, "Despite everything the original band accomplished in only two albums, Jimmy and Chrissie were just starting to figure out what they were capable of as a creative team" (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).

In May and June 1982, Honeyman-Scott was first in Los Angeles and then in Austin, Texas, for a short visit with his wife Peggy Sue Fender, a Texan whom he had married in April 1981, who was staying with a local guitarist in Texas at the time of her husband's death (FamousInterview.com,undated). After a major world tour he was taking a break in Austin and became involved in his first co-production effort for an album by Stephen Doster that was never released (Austin Chronicle, 1997). He also discussed plans with Jol Dantzig for doing a side project called "The Boss Weird" that was to include possibly Elliot Easton as well (Dantzig Design Group, 2006).

During the sessions with Stephen Doster in Austin, Honeyman-Scott was called back to London for a band meeting on 14 June with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers that resulted in the dismissal of Pete Farndon from the Pretenders, due to Farndon's increasing substance dependence. Two days after the dismissal of Pete Farndon, Honeyman-Scott was found dead in a girlfriend's apartment of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance (Washington, DC City Paper, 1984; Uncut, 1999). He was 25 years old. James Honeyman-Scott is buried in the churchyard at St. Peters Church, Lyde, Herefordshire.