James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. He is mostly associated with

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is a genre of pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the mid-to-late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

, and new wave genres of music.

Biography

May was born in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. He attended Jackson Prep, NYU Film School and Ole Miss, where he studied English and Southern Studies and found inspiration in the music of

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

and

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

. May was also a member of a Mississippi

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

group called The Rockwells. He is signed to the Paw Tracks label, which has released ''The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele'' (2009), ''Do Things'' (2012) and ''Warm Blanket'' (2013). May was chosen by

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...

to perform at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

Festival 2011. May co-founded the self-described "North Mississippi Infotainment Cult" known as Cats Purring, which operates out of the Cats Purring Dude Ranch in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

Discography

Albums

*2007: ''A Brush With Velvet'' (Self-released demo album) *2009: ''The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele'' (Paw Tracks) *2012: ''Do Things'' (Paw Tracks) *2013: '' Warm Blanket'' (Paw Tracks) *2017: '' Across the Multiverse'' (Carpark Records) *2020: '' Late Checkout'' (Carpark Records) *2024: ''What's for Breakfast?'' (Carpark Records)

Singles

*2007: "Meet Me in the Garden" (7", Make Mine) *2010: "That Feeling" (7", Forest Family Records) *2011: "Fun" (7", Paw Tracks) *2013: "Born Too Late" (Paw Tracks) *2014: "I'll Be Stoned for Christmas" *2016: "Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love" *2017: "Picture on a Screen" *2017: "90210" *2017: "Across the Multiverse" (feat. Frankie Cosmos) *2019: "Why I Came to California" *2022: "Crying Laughing"

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Dent 1985 births Living people Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi People from Oxford, Mississippi Tisch School of the Arts alumni American pop musicians 21st-century American singers American male singers