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Slim Jim Phantom
Slim Jim Phantom – Australia and New Zealand tour (2006)
Background information
Birth name	James McDonnell
Also known as	Slim Jim Phantom
Born	(1961-03-21) March 21, 1961 (age 57)[1] Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rockabilly rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Drummer musician songwriter
Instruments	Drums vocals
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Arista EMI America Cleopatra
Associated acts	Stray Cats Phantom, Rocker & Slick Dead Men Walking The Head Cat Col. Parker Kat Men

James McDonnell (born March 21, 1961), known by the stage name Slim Jim Phantom, is the drummer for Stray Cats.^[2] Alongside band mates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s.

Phantom currently plays in the band Kat Men with Imelda May guitarist Darrel Higham.

Biography

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Massapequa, New York, Phantom grew up listening to his parent's jazz records and began playing drums by the age of ten. He took lessons with Mousie Alexander, who played with Benny Goodman, studying jazz and working through books by Jim Chapin and Ted Reed.^{[citation needed]}

SJP drumming on a two-piece kit while standing

By the late 1970s, he was playing in bands with his childhood friend, bassist Lee Rocker. They soon joined forces with guitarist Brian Setzer to form Stray Cats.^[3] When performing with Stray Cats, Phantom often eschewed the full drum kit in favor of the bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, and crash cymbal.^{[citation needed]}

During downtime from Stray Cats, Phantom played in swing, rockabilly, and jump blues combo The Swing Cats with Rocker and ex-Polecats guitarist Danny B. Harvey,^[4] as well as rockabilly and glam rock project Phantom, Rocker & Slick with Rocker and guitarist Earl Slick.^[5] Phantom also played with Jerry Lee Lewis.^[6]

He later formed Col. Parker with former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, releasing the album Rock n Roll Music in 2001.^[7]

Most recently, he has been involved in the eponymous roots-rock band Slim Jim's Phantom Trio;^[8] rock-and-roll supergroup Dead Men Walking with Kirk Brandon and Mike Peters, and Captain Sensible;^[9] and rockabilly supergroup The Head Cat with Danny B. Harvey and the late vocalist and bassist Lemmy.^[10]

He was married to actress Britt Ekland from 1984 to 1992 and has a son, T.J. (born 1988), with her.^[11]

Discography

• 
  Stray Cats – Stray Cats (1981)


• 
  Stray Cats – Gonna Ball (1981)


• 
  Stray Cats – Built for Speed (1982)


• 
  Stray Cats – Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats (1983)


• 
  Phantom, Rocker & Slick – Phantom, Rocker & Slick (1985)


• 
  Phantom, Rocker & Slick – Cover Girl (1986)


• 
  Stray Cats – Rock Therapy (1986)


• 
  Stray Cats – Blast Off! (1989)


• 
  Stray Cats – Let's Go Faster! (1990)


• 
  Stray Cats – The Best of the Stray Cats: Rock This Town (1990)


• 
  Stray Cats – Choo Choo Hot Fish (1992)


• 
  Stray Cats – Original Cool (1993)


• Swing Cats – Swing Cats (1999)


• Swing Cats – A Special Tribute to Elvis (2000)


• 
  The Head Cat – Lemmy, Slim Jim & Danny B (2000)


• Swing Cats – Swing Cat Stomp (2000)


• Col Parker – Rock N Roll Music (2001)


• Swing Cats – A Rock'A-Billy Christmas (2002)
  


• 13 Cats – In the Beginning (2002)


• 13 Cats – 13 Tracks (2003)


• Dead Men Walking – Live at Leeds (2003)


• Dead Men Walking – Live at Darwen (2004)


• 13 Cats – In the Beginning 2 (2004)


• 
  Stray Cats – Rumble in Brixton (2004)


• Dead Men Walking – Live at CBGB's New York City (2005)


• Dead Men Walking – Graveyard Smashes Volume 1 (2006)


• 
  The Head Cat – Fool's Paradise (2006)
  


• Slim Jim Phanton – Kat Men (2009)


• 
  The Head Cat – Walk the Walk...Talk the Talk (2011)

References

External links

• Official website