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James Whild Lea (born 14 June 1949) is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, piano, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade from their inception until 1992, and for co writing most of their songs.

Lea was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, on 14 June 1949. Influenced by French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Lea's first musical love was the violin which he began playing aged 10. His parents Frank Lea and Edna Whild owned The Grange pub in Bilbrook where he grew up. He attended Codsall Comprehensive School – now Codsall Community High School. He joined the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra in 1961,

Slade's lack of success during the late 1970s led Lea to wonder if their material would be better received if recorded by another band. In late 1979, Lea formed The Dummies as a side project, with his brother Frank. The group released three singles, "When The Lights Are Out", "Didn't You Use To Use To Be You" and "Maybe Tonite". All three singles received plenty of radio airplay but sales suffered from distribution problems. "Didn't You Use To Use To Be You" was listed in BBC Radio One's 'A' playlist and was expected to become a top ten hit. Later in 1992, an album A Day in the Life of the Dummies was released, which gathered all the material recorded by the band.

In the 1980s Lea also produced all of Slade's recording sessions (except for some of the singles), and became an increasingly dominant creative force within the band. It was not uncommon for him to handle Holder's, some say Hill's, guitar parts on record. In 1982, Lea was also busy working on solo projects. Under the name China Dolls, he released the track "One Hit Wonder", backed by the B side "Ain't Love Ain't Bad". "One Hit Wonder" was the same song as "Didn't You Use To Use To Be You", originally released in 1980 under the name "The Dummies", whilst the B side was a cover of the Slade track "It Ain't Love But It Ain't Bad", from the 1977 album Whatever Happened to Slade. The same year, Lea released another single, "Poland", under the name Greenfields of Tong, with the B side carrying an instrumental version. "Poland" was a reworking of the 1979 Slade track "Lemme Love into Ya". In late 1983, Lea's bandmate Noddy Holder joined him in record production. Together they produced Girlschool's cover of the T Rex song "20th Century Boy" and the album Play Dirty which featured two Slade tracks "Burning in the Heat of Love" and "High and Dry". The "High and Dry" track was originally written for Girlschool but still appeared on Slade's album that same year. Lea also produced the Holder/Lea penned "Simple Love" for the actress and model Sue Scadding. Released by Speed Records and with Lea's brother, Frank on drums, the single failed to achieve any commercial success. Initially the song was intended for Slade but no version by the band is known to exist. The B side was another Holder and Lea composition, "Poland", which Lea released as a single himself the year before under the name Greenfields of Tong. In 1984, Lea also produced an album for singer / actor Gary Holton. Lea also played all the instruments (except drums, played by Geoff Seopardi) on two singles from the album; Holton's cover version of "Catch a Falling Star" and "That's How the Story Goes". Neither achieved any success. In 1986, Lea produced and performed all the instruments except drums, played by Lea's brother, on two singles by Annabella Lwin. The first single was a cover of the Alice Cooper hit "School's Out", whilst the other single was a version of "Fever", written by Eddie Cooley and John Davenport and previously recorded by Little Willie John and Peggy Lee, among others. Both singles failed to have any impact. The band held their third official fan club convention at Drummonds Convention, King's Cross, London.

Lea left Slade after Holder's departure from the band in 1992, being of the opinion that Slade was all four of them or nothing. He entered the property business in 1993 and went on to study psychotherapy in 1997 although he did not take it up as a career. and a reworking of "Coz I Luv You" twice; under the names "The X Specials" and "Jimbo feat Bull". In 1998, he began writing and recording new material, and released the single "I'll Be John, You Be Yoko" in 2000, under the name Whild. Since Slade stopped touring in early 1984, Lea has performed live only twice; once for a local protest against a motorway development in his home area, and once again in 2002 for a charity event at the Robin 2 venue in Bilston, near Slade's old local pub, The Trumpet. Later the gig was made available as a download only live album and as on a second disc of his album Therapy. In 2007, Lea released his first solo album, Therapy, which was made available on his website. In 2016, Wienerworld re issued Therapy on CD and also released it on vinyl for the first time with bonus tracks. A new six track extended play, Lost in Space, was released on 22 June 2018. In 2023, the group that Lea had originally auditioned to join on 12 February 1966 – The 'N Betweens – were briefly reunited for a studio session and then a video session. The group this time around consisted of Jim Lea, Don Powell, plus original members Mick Marson and Johnny Howells. Guitarist Dave Hill was not invited to those sessions. A first track to appear from the sessions, "The Train Kept A Rollin'" climbed to number 3 on the Heritage Chart and was released independently as a CD single on the Noize Recordings label. Lea also appeared on a Don Powell Band single, a version of "My Sharona", and its supporting video.

Lea has homes in Brewood, Staffordshire, and London, England. Lea married Louise Ganner on 19 March 1973 after having first met as pupils at Codsall Comprehensive School. They have two children, Kristian and Bonnie. In 2014, Lea was diagnosed with, and treated for, prostate cancer, which he revealed publicly the following year.

Lea started off with a Framus Star bass, similar to that used by Bill Wyman and later used a cherry Gibson EB 3 from the late 1960s until it was stolen in the mid 1970s. It is seen in Slade's (probably) first TV performance in 1969. Lea got the bass in exchange for a Gibson EB 0 that he owned. The EB 3 was refinished in white when Lea put it in with John Birch to get some minor circuit and servicing work done. Lea said that he only mentioned the refinish idea in passing some time previously, then John Birch went ahead with it without checking with him. The instrument was also modified with a third pickup located between its standard neck and bridge pickups. After the EB 3 was stolen in 1976 from the John Birch workshop, Lea's main bass was a similarly styled custom made sunburst John Birch bass, given as a replacement. He also carried a John Birch J2 bass as a backup bass on some tours. Other notable basses that Lea owns include a Jaydee bass (which, uncommonly for a bass guitar, has a tremolo arm fitted), a pre 1981 Gibson Flying V bass (which was used a lot in the studio in the 1970s). Slade often used hired/borrowed instruments in mimed TV performances. Lea used a Fender Precision Bass, Fender Jazz bass and a Rickenbacker style bass, made by John Birch, as well as a Shaftesbury replica of a 4001 bass for TV and video shoots. He has also said that he used to compose a lot of songs on his wife's old Spanish guitar.

Lea owned an ARP 2600 synthesiser. He sold it on eBay in 2003.