James Renald
Jimmy "James" Renald (22 February 1971 – 11 August 2018) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer known as the vocalist for Montreal pop duo Sky, before his later work behind the scenes with Mandy Moore and Taylor Hicks.
Born in La Tuque, Que., Renald developed an interest for music as a child before enrolling in Montreal production school Musitechnic where he became friends with classmate Antoine Sicotte in the early 1990s.[1][2] The two would become roommates and bond over their mutual interest in Steely Dan, jazzy R&B and an affinity for Ice-T's metal band Body Count.[3] His early work with Sicotte included a short-lived rock act called Louder Than a Bomb.[3]
By 1997, Renald and Sicotte had honed their musical interest into a pop act which they named Sky.[1] They signed with EMI Music Canada and released their debut major label album Piece of Paradise in 1998, which included hits "Some Kinda Wonderful" and "Love Song", both co-written by Renald. "Love Song" climbed to No. 1 on the Canadian charts around the same time Sky signed with Arista in the United States. The album was released in the U.S. in 1999 with a different album cover.
Renald suffered from anxiety throughout his life, which intensified as Sky grew in popularity. He decided to quit the act shortly before the year 2000.[1]
When Sky won best new group at the Juno Awards in 2000 he was not present to accept the award with his former bandmate, and instead settled in Los Angeles where he worked on solo music. He finished an album under the pseudonym Mackenzie, B.C. that was never released.[1][4]
Renald worked extensively with pop singer Moore during this period, writing the song "Cry" for the singer for the 2002 soundtrack of the film A Walk to Remember.[5] He also wrote Slummin' in Paradise and Nothing That You Are for Moore's 2007 album Wild Hope. [6][7]
His song "The Runaround" appeared on Hicks' self-titled 2006 album.[6]
Renald also wrote scores for various Hollywood movie trailers and commercials, including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Rampart.[1] He co-composed original music for the Funny or Die spoof of Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout, starring Taylor Lautner.[8]
He also shared an interest in learning computers graphics programs and Oculus Rift technology, with plans to create an application that would advance VR storytelling.[1]
He passed away on August, 11, 2018.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Friend, David (April 10, 2019). "James Renald, of Montreal duo Sky, remembered for writing lyrical pop hits". The Globe and Mail/ The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ↑ Flynn, Andrew (25 February 1999). "Montreal's Sky looking to catch pop's big wave". The Canadian Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Friend, David (2019-04-10). "Other details about James Renald that didn't make the story... He was a big fan of metal band Body Count, led by rapper Ice-T (@FINALLEVEL). Before Sky he formed rock act Louder Than a Bomb which his friend Alexis Dufresne says "lasted 45 minutes."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-kwNNLmhd8 …". @dfriend. Retrieved 2019-04-10. line feed character in
|title=at position 63 (help) - ↑ "Rumor Mill - IN-HOUSE WOULD-BE ROCKCRITS' CORNER, YEAR-END EDITION". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
- ↑ "Mandy Moore's 'Cry' Heralds Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "James Renald | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ↑ Staff, MTV News. "For The Record: Quick News On Snoop Dogg, Metallica, Mariah Carey, Dave Davies, Mandy Moore, Mudvayne & More". MTV News. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
- ↑ "Field of Dreams 2 : NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner". Vimeo. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
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