James BladesOBE was an English percussionist who died in 1999 at the age of 97. He was one of the most celebrated percussionists, having had a long and varied career. He also wrote Percussion Instruments and their History, one of the standard works on percussion instruments.
Jimmy, as he was known to all, was born in 1901. He provided the sound for the Rank Organisation's famous Gongman and was an associate of Benjamin Britten, with whom he conceived many of the composer's unusual percussion effects. In 1954, Jimmy was appointed Professor of Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music.
Blades was born in Panama City into a musical family; his father, a police detective, played bongos, and his Cuban-born mother sang and played piano.
Blades accepted reluctantly but ran enthusiastically, writing his own campaign song and encouraging his constituents to believe that change was possible.
Blades lost his bid for the presidency, partly because of lack of campaign funds and a political machine, and partly because he had not lived in Panama for many years and was not taken seriously as a candidate by some voters.
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