Marty James

Biography

Marty James Garton Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from Chico, California. He has released albums and singles as the front man and producer of Scapegoat Wax and One Block Radius and as part of the writer-producer management division of The Core Entertainment. James co-wrote the English-language remix of Luis Fonsi's Despacito Remix, which featured Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber. The song went on to top charts in both English- and Spanish-speaking parts of the world, was nominated for three Grammys, and won numerous music awards including a Latin Grammy, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and Billboard Latin Music Awards. He also wrote the 2023 song "Religiously" for country musician Bailey Zimmerman which peaked at No.1 on the Canada Country Billboard Chart and US Country Airplay chart.

Early life and education

James grew up in Dixon, CA but moved to Chico, CA with his father. By 13, James was performing at local talent shows and making his own demos on equipment he purchased himself. He began submitting the demos to labels and producers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles when he was 16.

Early career

During high school, James was discovered by Johnny Zunino of N2Deep. After his two previous groups disbanded, James and Zunino started Scapegoat Wax. The band originally signed to Good Vibe Recordings in 1999 for their first album, Luxurious. In 2000 they moved to the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal Label, and James worked with Mike D on the band's second album, Okeeblow. When Grand Royal closed, the band went to Hollywood Records and released SWAX in 2002. The band gained critical acclaim with the media, but failed to establish commercial success. The band was best known for their single "Aisle 10 (Hello Allison)", which reached moderate success in the US and was part of the Xbox video game Jet Set Radio Future as well as being on the soundtrack for Project Gotham Racing. They also released other singles which were used in motion picture soundtracks and television shows, such as Clockstoppers, America's Sweethearts and 40 Days and 40 Nights, the episode "Company Picnic: Part 2" of Malcolm in the Middle and the unaired pilot of Wonderfalls.
In 2004, James started One Block Radius with Mr. Dope America, who toured with Scapegoat Wax, and San Francisco emcee Z Man. They signed to Los Angeles independent label Avatar Records in 2005 and released the album Long Story Short, which James wrote, produced, and mixed. During that time, James was also featured as a guest vocalist on songs by Snoop Dogg, Baby Bash, Paul Wall, The Federation, E-40, and others.

2010-present

Since 2010, James has focused on songwriting and producing music for others. He has written songs with and for Jason Derulo, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Snoop Dogg, Christina Aguilera, Timbaland, Afrojack, Nelly, Akon, Wiz Khalifa, Sean Kingston, Ty Dolla $ign, Nicky Jam, Will Smith, and G-Eazy. In 2016, James co-wrote "Don't You Need Somebody" for RedOne. The same year, Luis Fonsi and Erika Ender brought James on to help with remixing their Spanish-language song "Despacito Remix," featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. James, whose mother's family is of Mexican heritage, has written songs for Latin artists. The English language remix that James worked on was intended to expand the appeal of the original song which had already been a success. Justin Bieber was brought on to sing on the remix.
"Despacito" was released in April 2017 and received international attention, topping charts in 47 countries. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-tying 16 weeks and topped the Latin 100 for a record-breaking 52 weeks. The song was nominated for three Grammys in 2018: Best Song, Best Record, and Best Pop-Duo. The song won the Best Urban Fusion/Performance award at the 2018 Latin Grammys. The song was also nominated for and won awards at the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Billboard Latin Music Awards.
James became part of the producer management division of The Core Entertainment in 2023. The same year he wrote the song "Religiously" for country musician Bailey Zimmerman. The song peaked at No.1 on the Canada Country Billboard Chart and US Country Airplay, as well as receiving an ARIA Gold certification.

With Scapegoat Wax

Luxurious (1999)
Okeeblow (2001)
SWAX (2002)
Atomic Slam (2022)

With One Block Radius

Long Story Short 2005
One Block Radius 2008