Bocephus King

An eccentric Americana troubadour who built a modest cult audience across the opening decades of the twenty-first century, Bocephus King explored an unusually wide range of sonic palettes throughout his recording career. He rotated musical partners with the same frequency that he shifted idioms, anchoring his work in post-modern folk while occasionally incorporating rock and pop elements and revealing clear affinities with both Tom Waits and Elvis Costello.

Born James Perry in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he chose the performing alias Bocephus King when launching his project. Activity began in the mid-nineties when he assembled friends to record at the family cabin in Point Roberts, Washington; the sessions yielded Joco Music, issued by Tonic Records in 1996.

That debut drew the interest of New West Records, which offered a contract and released A Small Good Thing in 1998. The Rigallatos supplied accompaniment on the album and joined its touring cycle; the same ensemble also appeared on the follow-up, The Blue Sickness, which Tonic issued in 2000. Thereafter Perry recorded alone, delivering All Children Believe in Heaven in 2004 and Willie Dixon God Damn! in 2010.

For 2015’s The Illusion of Permanence he enlisted Orchestra Familia, whose membership included Ali Razmi, Owen B. Connell, and Hamin Honari. Lula, released in 2018, was made with Flophouse Jr. The solo format returned for 2020’s The Infinite & The Autogrill, Vol. 1.