"The Best Damn Songwriter You Never Heard" James Curley began writing songs in the mid 70s in his native Philadelphia, influenced mainly by his trips to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to local clubs like The Main Point, Grendel's Lair and others. He appeared as a solo songwriter back then, opening locally for other artists of the day, including Artie Traum and Lou London. Leaving Philadelphia, James played in Denver, Boulder, Eugene and other areas and eventually wound up in Houston