Shawn James in Louisville

Shawn James is an American singer-songwriter, born in Chicago in 1986, whose music draws on folk, blues, soul and Southern gothic. He is best known for “Through the Valley,” which reached a wider audience through a trailer for The Last of Us Part II, as well as songs including “Burn the Witch” and albums such as The Dark & The Light and A Place in the Unknown. Live at the Heartbreak House documented his early concert repertoire. He has performed solo and in a heavier full-band format, including work with Shawn James & The Shapeshifters, and later issued another concert recording, Live at the Old State House.