JoAnna James seemed destined from birth to receive accolades. “My first award was for most hair on the head of a newborn,” James said. “The hospital staff even put a picture of me up on the wall.”

Her most recent was for Female Vocalist at the 2005 Minnesota Music Awards.

Born and raised in St. Paul, James is a multi-talented musician with a rich, bluesy voice that might leave you wondering if there’s not an old soul living inside this young woman.

James’ musical legacy got its start when her grandfather bought a violin for $100. “He showed it to the family and said, ‘alright grandkids, which one of you wants to play it.’ Since there were no takers, my mom volunteered me to play it,” James said.

After seven years of violin lessons, James taught herself to play guitar. She quickly learned all the songs from “Nirvana Unplugged.”

“I was convinced I was meant to play guitar. I mean, how else could I learn all those songs? James said. “I was stoked. It was so exciting to not just learn a song, but to hear it come from your own hands.” Ten months later, James added singing to her growing musical repertoire.

In her sophomore year of high school, James booked her first show at a Hudson, Wis., coffee shop. She approached the shop’s booking agent who told her she could play there if she could bring in a crowd. James did and quickly got the word out to family and friends.

“The night of the show, I remember walking up the stairs to the coffee shop and right before I walked in, I touched the doorknob not knowing what was in store,” James said. “When I got inside, my family was there, even all the cliques from high school were there; it was packed. I got on stage and in a blink, my set was over. It was so much fun I could barely sleep that night. When I woke up the next morning, it was like, I need to do that again.”

Since that first show, James has performed numerous solo acoustic shows, in addition to fronting her own band. She’s also shared the stage with Chris Koza, Jessy Green and the Honeydogs. In summer 2005, she completed a mini-tour of the western U.S. in support of her second CD, “Desire.”

While she engaged in music at an early age, surprisingly, no one else in her family sings or plays any instruments. “I’ve wondered what it would be like to be one of those kids raised on everything from Mozart to James Brown, or if I had been immersed in all these great LPs my parents had, or if we spent every night playing guitar together,” James said. “I sometimes wonder what my style would be like if I was exposed to that at a much younger age.”

Even with her performing experience and two CDs under her belt, James still doesn’t believe she’s found her sound. Her first CD was predominantly acoustic, the second more rock; James has no idea what direction she’ll take with the third album.

“For awhile, I was really obsessed with trying to find my sound and what would make me distinguishable from the millions of other singers out there. I think I tried so hard to find it in my head, I finally had to drop it,” James said. “I don’t know what the next record’s going to be, but I do know I have to follow what my heart tells me. Music is a lifelong thing, so for right now, I just want to improve and grow and evolve.”

James has her own idea of success and it doesn’t include being on the cover of Rolling Stone. “The fame thing doesn’t appeal to me; I don’t enjoy the excess attention. I like my privacy, but I understand with this industry I’ve entered into, it’s a necessary evil,” James said. “I want a career on par with Ani DiFranco. She makes a good living where she doesn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, but she isn’t selling out either.”

James’ grandfather - the one who bought the violin - is very proud of his granddaughter’s achievements; he passes out her CDs to people at his church and collects press clippings about her. Odds are good he’ll be doing plenty more of it in the future, too, since James is quickly leaving her musical mark.

And it’s safe to say it’s left its impression on her: “There’s something about music that makes it feel like a blessing to be where you are; I never want to take that for granted.”

www.joannajames.com