In 1984, James Hersch made a commitment to write and perform his own songs: “Following a road paved by Harry Chapin, John Denver, Michael Johnson and others, I found my home in the college coffeehouse circuit, where I spent many weeks at a time on tour. I would drive throughout the U.S. to college coffeehouses, performing and selling my records, spending time on campus with students and polishing my guitar playing. Telling my stories and singing my own songs became a living for me.” Honors have since followed Hersch as stage performer (Club and Coffeehouse), film score composer (PBS Television) and in his work providing music for shelters, prisons, hospice and head start programs. James would ultimately be enshrined in the national College Coffeehouse Hall of Fame and go on to win the prestigious Telly and Harry Chapin Awards.

James Hersch is an artist who paints pictures with his songs. His music invites us in as his words color the canvas... A brush with true emotion gives us permission to look within. Perhaps not a folk singer, but a man who sings for folks... An artist who sings folks songs about themselves. Their stories are his stories. History in a modern style. He tells us tales of days gone by and makes them come alive... Presents from the past that will thrive in days to come. His voice is warm, clear, and lyrical. His guitar ... precise. His songs speak of hope and hopelessness, of homes and the homeless, of grandmas and grandpas, of memories dark and light. He has the wholesome look of the paperboy and the lonesome view of a man on tour. For decades now he has delivered nationwide, traveling to towns and colleges... Learning life lessons while his songs are teaching theirs.
- Scott Jones

When he and Candy moved from Minnesota to become Arizona residents, Hersch immediately established the wonderful Songwriters of Grand, a subgroup of the Music Club at the Grand retirement community. James saw an opportunity to add a new genre to those interested, using his experiences as a singer/songwriter. “In particular,” he says, “I wanted to replicate the inspiration and magic of songwriter clubs such as The Bluebird Cafe (Nashville). It was in these clubs that I shared songs with, and was inspired by, Steve Goodman, John Prine, Vince Gill and Garth Brooks. In these spaces, songwriters find the courage to sing their songs and tell their stories.” James has sought to create such a space for his community to “find the courage to sing their songs and share their stories.”