Who is Kurt James & what is his Stryper connection?
This is from his Wikipedia page.

Kurt James is a cult guitar hero who came into prominence by joining the band Steeler. It was through playing in Steeler that he developed a friendship with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Prior to joining Steeler he developed his technique and experience by playing with a late legendary guitarist Steve Medrano from the band West Winds. He has also played with multitude of local Los Angeles bands such as Stryper, Black Sheep, Black Bart, etc. He has also appeared in the album Dr. Mastermind with Deen Castronovo on drums and Matt McCourt on bass and vocals.

Did he play with Stryper?

I did a little more digging and...
I found this on Kurt's myspace webpage..



Ummm... what year was this he "got the call from Stryper"? The Band Steeler broke up in 1984, so it had to be after the break up.
I remember once hearing rumors that Oz had left Stryper but, I can't remember when it would have taking place must have been in 84 or 85.

I figured I would dig into this a little more and went straight to the source, the man Kurt James himself!



First off I have to give a big "Thank You" to Kurt for being nice enough to spend some time talking about his Stryper experience. After a couple emails back in forth Kurt sent me his number so we could talk (it was just easier then emails). So I called; I had already sent him some questions so after a few minutes of small talk I basically set back and just let him tell his story.

He started by talking about the band he was in before Stryper which was Steeler. He remembered Stryper opening for them (Steeler) back in 1984 in Southern California. He said that the Stryper guys were very nice and super friendly. He said that they mutually respected each other. He also said that they were the real deal and lived what they preached. He even remembered them praying before the concert and stuff. It wasn't to long after that concert that Steeler broke up.

He said that he got a call from Michael asking him if he would like to come play with them. He (Kurt) said that Oz had either left the band or was asked to leave. He wasn't completely sure why Oz was out. (I did ask a follow up question on this specific topic of why Oz left as to not leave it a mystery.) He said honestly he did not know why. He said it happened before he was involved and it wasn't really something that was talked about. He did remember some comments from the band about Oz looking like Donna Summers when he was in costume and had his hair all frizzed out 80's style and that, that wasn't the look they wanted, or something like that.


He said that he was in the band approximately one month. He learned all the songs from "Yellow And Black Attack" and for the upcoming album "Soldiers Under Command".

I asked him what was "stifling"? And what was the cause for his frustration?
He said that in Stryper Micheal wanted the songs to be played a certain way like on the album or the way written. Kurt said in reality it had to be this way because of the dueling guitars. That style was a big departure from the way it was in the band Steeler. In Steeler, he was able to improvise on the solos and what not. He said that he didn't disagree with Michael it just wasn't the right fit. He also said that because he didn't write any of the songs and couldn't put his own spin on them he kind felt that he was in a Stryper cover band. He said that even back then Michael was a very talented writer and that he really enjoyed Micheal's solos more then Oz's parts.

He also said that Oz had more vocal range and was able to harmonize better with Michael then he could. After about a month he told Michael that it wasn’t the right fit for him and that they should get Oz back because he (Oz) was a better fit.

I asked him if he ever played any live concerts with them?
He said no.

He did say that the rehearsals were recorded and that he would love to hear them again. He also said during the month he was in the band they did an interview and photo shoot for a magazine called "Music Connection". He said that he had a yellow and black outfit and that he would love to see the article and pictures again.

Mr. James has recorded many different styles of music over the years, including (most recently) Rockabilly, in the form of a collaboration with the Christian rockabilly band The Pioneers.

I would again like to thank Kurt for taking the time to do this.
If you would like more information about Kurt it can be found at:
www.kurtjames.com
www.myspace.com/therealkurtjames
More information on the band The Pioneers visit www.hotrodchurch.com/

That's a great interview. Thanks for the Stryper history lesson !

holy **** SF, this info you have found takes the cake!!! <<< AWESOME!!!!, my hat is off to you good sir!...so so interesting to read and find this all out!....and lmao @ the donna summers/oz fox pic!.....thankyou too for sorting the interview with Stryper's long lost guitarist!

nice piece of work man! i think i'm gonna like it here!

hey ElmoLynchFox, are you a George Lynch fan?...well if you are i just wanted to say that i am a huge George Lynch fan myself...i own just about every cd he's ever played on, been into him since 1985 when my dad bought me "Under Lock & Key" on vinyl...love his solo albums and other band albums too, man i just love all his stuff!...one of my favourite songs of his to rock on my axe is "Kiss Of Death"....i have some great live video footage of him too

Bwaaaa ha ha! The Donna Summer / Oz Fox comparison is hilarious... and kinda creepy. Nice detective work.

It is like a missing chapter from the Stryper book "Loud N' Clear".

I have to say that Kurt James was a very genuine and personable during our talk. I really hope that maybe Michael or Oz will add to the story and give us more insight to this time in Stryper history.

well said, i absolutely agree it is a missing chapter and i also would love Michael or Oz to shed some more light on this wonderful new information.

We really need a new book on the history of Stryper, and I think you'd be the best person to write it. Great detective work.

hey all- first post. our new lead singer of our cover band here in fort wayne IN, was good friends with Kurt James back in the day and said that OZ was considering going into speed metal, and that was the reason OZ left. Our singer used to front the LA speed metal band VIKING. anybody famialiar with them?