James Hamilton Leithauser is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he recorded seven studio albums. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Leithauser and bass guitarist and organist Peter Matthew Bauer were both members of The Recoys. Leithauser was born and raised in Washington, DC and has lived in New York City since the 1990s. Leithauser embarked upon a solo career in 2014, releasing his debut studio album, Black Hours, on June 3. Written and recorded alongside his Walkmen bandmate Paul Maroon. The duo independently released a follow-up vinly-only LP and EP under both of their names the following year. In 2016, Leithauser collaborated with former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij on the studio album, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine. It was released to widespread critical acclaim later that year.
The Recoys
The Recoys were an indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1996 by Hamilton Leithauser, Peter Bauer, Damon Hege, Mike Sheahan and Hugh McIntosh. The band did release a three-song EP of material, The Recoys, while the band was still playing together. The post-breakup LP included the three songs from the EP as well as seven songs meant for a future LP and a tribute song performed by The Lil' Fighters. Three of the songs on The Rekoys, "That's the Punchline," "The Blizzard of '93," and "Look Out Your Window," were rerecorded by The Walkmen for various albums and EPs. Following The Recoys' breakup, Leithauser and Bauer formed The Walkmen, while Hugh McIntosh joined The French Kicks and the Child Ballads as the bands' drummer. Following the hiatus of The Walkmen in late 2013, Leithauser began a solo career. His debut full-length, Black Hours, was released June 3, 2014.
In 2016, he formed Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam with Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend. They released the single "A 1000 Times" in July 2016, which they performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 12, 2016. Their song "In a Blackout" was featured in the commercial for the Apple iPhone 7 and series Lucifer, in the episode "God Johnson". Their debut album, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine, was released on September 23, 2016.
Leithauser is married to Anna Stumpf, who occasionally performs live with her husband and has contributed to records by Leithauser and The Walkmen. They have two children, Georgiana and Frederika.
