James Radcliffe was born in New York City. He released such singles as "My Ship is Coming In", a song composed by his writing partner Joey Brooks (later of "You Light Up My Life" fame) which was later covered by The Walker Brothers as a pop music hit; and also wrote several songs featured in the children's TV show The Banana Splits. He is probably best remembered for his recording of "Long After Tonight Is All Over" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) which became famous as one of the "3 before 8" songs that was played at the Wigan Casino all-nighters, the Northern soul venue. The song was a minor hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1965, reaching #40. This popularity led to a promotional tour, wherein Radcliffe was featured in the British music press and appeared on numerous radio and televisions shows.

 

Radcliffe did not live long enough to see this recording achieve cult status, as he passed away from health-related causes in 1973.