Artist · chart history · #865 in indie & aaa artist polls
James Gang
Band Cleveland United States Active 1966–2006 US rock group
James Gang formed in 1966 in Cleveland, United States and was active until 2006. James Gang has 100 chart appearances on 64 radio countdowns from 25 stations on RockLists, spanning 1994–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Funk #49”, which appears on 55 lists with a best position of #103. The station that charted James Gang most often is 100.7 WZLX (Boston, MA), with 17 appearances.
James Gang came out of Cleveland, and like plenty of young bands they cycled through lineups before anything stuck. What stuck was a power trio: Joe Walsh on guitar and lead vocals, Jim Fox on drums and Tom Kriss on bass for the first album, with Dale Peters taking over the bass for the second and third. Three guys, a lot of amplifiers, and a guitarist with more ideas than he knew what to do with.
James Gang Rides Again in 1970 is where Walsh really let loose, and "Funk #49" is the reason to own it: a scratchy, strutting riff with Fox's drums crashing around it like a dropped tray, and hardly a wasted second. Thirds in 1971 brought "Walk Away", tight and snarling. Those two are the ones classic rock stations have never stopped playing.
At the end of 1971 Walsh left to go solo and would later join the Eagles. The band soldiered on with a series of guitarists and singers, Domenic Troiano and Tommy Bolin among them, through six more studio albums without another hit. Walsh, Fox and Peters have reunited now and then since, including a September 2022 set at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by James Gang on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Funk #49 | 55 | #103 | – | – | |
| 2 | Walk Away | 41 | #81 | – | – | |
| 3 | The Bomber | 1 | #249 | – | – | |
| 4 | Turn To Stone | 1 | #365 | – | – | |
| 5 | Bomber Medley | 1 | #401 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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