Jon St. James
Jon St. James, born Jon Willoughby, is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. He ran Casbah Recording Studio in Orange County, a centerpiece of the local music scene in the late 1970s and 1980s. He led the progressive rock group French Lick and helped push techno pop and dance music, using Moog synthesizers, electronic effects and tape loops. While living in France, he studied Musique concrète and first used Revox tape machines to create ambient sounds.
Back in the United States, he formed the electronic pop group Q with Stacey Swain (Stacey Q), Dan Van Patten from Berlin, and John Van Tongeren. Q released the single “Playback” on Cocteau Records and a self-titled EP in 1982. Q later became SSQ and signed with EMI America after St. James helped produce Berlin’s album Pleasure Victim. EMI signed him to a six‑record solo deal. The first single from his solo album Trans-Atlantic was “The Girl Who Seduced the World,” an track David Bowie reportedly admired for his own Let’s Dance era. However, EMI America closed soon after those releases, and St. James moved on to TV and movie work.
St. James and Swain regrouped as Stacey Q in 1984 and released the worldwide hit “Two of Hearts.” As a producer and engineer, he worked with bands like The Vandals, Social Distortion and Berlin, helping to bring Stacey Q, the dance acts Bardeux and Katalina to a wider audience. He also contributed music for TV and film, including shows like St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, Malcolm in the Middle and Dawson’s Creek.
He moved into artist management and produced a double‑platinum hit with Candyman’s “Knockin’ Boots” on Epic Records. He managed and produced other acts such as Anything Box and Red Flag, often playing guitar, synth and programming. He also ran the Synthecide label and produced for Enigma/Restless Records.
Casbah attracted many artists, from John Van Tongeren and Dan Van Patten to bands like Agent Orange, Minutemen, The Adolescents, Rocky Burnette and Stryper. After Stacey Q’s success, St. James sold Casbah and opened Formula 1 studio in La Habra, which hosted acts like Blink-182, No Doubt, Tenacious D and many others. He later sold F1 to Thump Records and continued recording, writing and producing in his own studio, working with clients such as Kung Fu Records, The Warped Tour, The Used, Mike Ness, Warren Fitzgerald and Jason Freese of Green Day. He also mentors new talent, including Andy Carpenter. In 2022 he produced Berserker of None, an EP by Atrocitvs, a Southern California hardcore/metalcore band.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:14 (CET).