Jamie Freeman (27 May 1965 – 3 December 2022) was a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, who previously fronted The Jamie Freeman Agreement. He was the brother[1] of actor Martin Freeman and musician Tim Freeman (of Frazier Chorus). He co-founded Union Music Store in Lewes, East Sussex with his ex-wife, Stevie Smith. He was a member of the Americana Music Association (Nashville) and Americana Music Association UK. His song, "The Fire", co-written with Ben Glover, was nominated for UK Song Of The Year at the UK Americana Awards.[2]
Freeman's primary instrument was the guitar, and he was also a drummer. He started drumming at the age of 13 and played with the group Salter Cane for eight years. He played electric and acoustic guitar, and a kick-drum when playing solo. In the studio he also played keyboards, bass, lap steel and percussion. He played with Frazier Chorus as a member of the touring band, and performed on their third album Wide Awake, released on the Pure label.
Freeman's first album Just You, released under his name, was described as "a perfect blend of UK folk/American roots" by Gilded Palace. The follow-up 100 Miles From Town was released under the band's name The Jamie Freeman Agreement and features guest appearances by several artists including Larkin Poe, Brandy Zdan, Richard Smith, and The Good Lovelies. Mark Chadwick (The Levellers) was a consultant producer on the album.[3] [4] David Hughes of FATEA described the album as, " set about defining English Americana."[5]
His 2019 album Dreams About Falling features co-writes with, among others, Angaleena Presley, Brandy Zdan, and Amy Speace. (Two songs on Freeman's second album were co-written with Amy Tudor, a poet from Kentucky.) The album also features duets with Brandy Zdan, Amy Speace, and Angaleena Presley.[6] It was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Neilson Hubbard.[7] Dreams About Falling's release was supported by over thirty live shows.[8] David Pratt of FolkRadio.co.uk reviewed the album positively saying, "Jamie is patently in the vanguard of the current crop of British songwriters, regardless of genre-type. Dreams About Falling is a musical tour de force."[9]
In 2019, Freeman attended the House of Songs Songwriter Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, writing with Elles Bailey, Dylan Earle, Graham Weber, and Jonathan Terrell.[10]
Freeman died from brain cancer on 3 December 2022. He was 57 years old.[11] [12]
| Artist name | Title | Year | Label | Format | Catalogue No. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Freeman | Just You | 2011 | Union Music Store | CD/Digital | UMS001 | |
| The Jamie Freeman Agreement | 100 Miles From Town | 2013 | Union Music Store | CD/Digital | UMS005 | |
| Jamie Freeman | Hasia Dreams | 2017 | Union Music Store | CD/Digital | UMS013 | |
| Jamie Freeman | Dreams About Falling | 2019 | Union Music Store | CD/Vinyl/Digital | UMS014 | |
| Jamie Freeman | Isolated Incidents | 2021 | Self Released | CD/Digital/Zine | JMF001 |
| Artist | Title | Description | Year | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Freeman | Just You | Album | 2011 | Union Music Store | |
| Zoe Brownrigg | Not Once Did I See Your Face | EP | 2011 | Union Music Store | |
| The Self Help Group | Not Waving, But Drowning | Album | 2012 | Union Music Store | |
| The Jamie Freeman Agreement | 100 Miles From Town | Album | 2013 | Union Music Store | |
| Police Dog Hogan | Home (Remix) | Remix track for the Moutarde! vinyl EP (produced by Al Scott) | 2015 | Union Music Store | |
| Mark Chadwick | No Change | Track from Land of Hope and Fury compilation | 2015 | Union Music Store | |
| Lucy Ward | Bigger Than That | 2015 | Union Music Store | ||
| Phil Jones | New Homes | 2015 | Union Music Store | ||
| The Jamie Freeman Agreement | Homes For Heroes | 2015 | Union Music Store | ||
| The Self Help Group | Funeral Drum | 2015 | Union Music Store | ||
| Emily Barker | Doing The Best I Can | Mix, track from Land of Hope and Fury compilation (Produced by Emily Barker) | 2015 | Union Music Store | |
| The Self Help Group | Dead Stars | Album | 2015 | Union Music Store | |
| Noble Jacks | What The Hammer | Album | 2017 | Union Music Store | |
| Jamie Freeman | Hasia Dreams | 5 song EP. Track 3 produced by Rebecca Lovell (Larkin Poe). | 2017 | Union Music Store | |
| Ben Norris | Moral Vacuum | Album | 2020 | n/a | |
| Jamie Freeman | Isolated Incidents | 4 song EP. | 2021 | Self released |
"The actual sound is a huge tribute to producer Jamie Freeman, giving great depth and openness to the recording but never overdoing the instrumentation, imbuing the whole disc with a power and drive that really shouldn't be possible when taking into account the mellowness of the music. – American Roots UK[13]
"Dead Stars is the bands second studio outing, impeccably produced by Jamie Freeman" – Brighton's Finest[14]
"Working with the same producer as the on the first album, the album is again a small masterpiece" – FATEA[15]
"It is high quality, beautifully written, arranged, sung, played and produced music that keeps the listener in thrall... and when it comes to the production there is a lovely clear open spacey feel even on songs with a fuller instrumentation. He seems to have an instinctive 'knack' for getting everything perfectly in balance and co-ordinated, and yet there is always a strong dramatic edginess to the performances and sound." – American Roots UK[16]