About James Mercer (musician)
James Russell Mercer (born December 26, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the founder, vocalist, lead songwriter, and sole remaining original member of the indie rock group The Shins. In 2009, Mercer and producer Danger Mouse formed the side project Broken Bells, for which they released a self-titled album in March 2010, followed by After the Disco in 2014, and then Into the Blue in 2022. Mercer also has acted, appearing in Matt McCormick's feature film Some Days Are Better Than Others, which premiered in 2010. == Early life == Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mercer was raised Roman Catholic but he became an atheist at age 10. His father was in the United States Air Force and was a nuclear weapons specialist. Because of his father's deployments, he attended high school in both England and Germany; he lived in England from 1985 to 1990. According to Mercer: "You know, my dad was a musician. He would [sing] in country western acts in nightclubs and things. And so, I grew up hearing a lot of music and seeing my father perform in the house and stuff." He attended the University of New Mexico and studied chemistry for a time before dropping out, saying that although he enjoyed the subject matter, he was not cut out for it because his head was "too in the clouds for stuff like that." == Career == In the early 1990s, Mercer belonged to a group called Scared of Chaka where he played drums.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.