James Valentine is best known as the lead guitarist for GRAMMY Award-winning group, Maroon 5.

Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, Valentine first connected with band members Adam Levine and Mickey Madden upon relocating from Lincoln to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, in 2000. Since then, Maroon 5 has gone on to have massive critical and commercial success worldwide. Capturing their first of three Grammy Awards as “Best New Artist” in 2005 and going on to sell more than 15 million albums worldwide, Maroon 5 won over fans and critics alike with the hybrid rock/R&B sound they introduced on their debut album Songs About Jane. They followed up with It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, Hands All Over and the bands most recent release, Overexposed.

When he’s not performing with Maroon 5, Valentine can be seen on stage with JJAMZ. A super group composed of Valentine, Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley/Conor Oberst), Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Michael Runion and Z Berg (The Like).The group was formed as a result of a karaoke night at Guys in Hollywood. The cryptic band name is an acronym using the first letter of each member’s name. They plan to release their debut album, “Suicide Pact,” on July 10, 2012.

Valentine currently resides in Los Angeles, and this past March, he ran the L.A. marathon to raise money to benefit the pediatric cancer organization, The Pablove Foundation. He is also an avid tennis player.