Jesse James

Jesse James became a pop-culture icon when West Coast Choppers, the celebrated Long Beach, CA custom motorcycle shop he built from scratch, became part of the backdrop for The Discovery Channel’s popular series “Monster Garage” (2002- ). As the show’s heavily tattooed, charismatic bad-ass host, James transcended his mechanical background to become a mainstream celebrity with all manner of fans.

Born April 19th, 1969 in Lynwood, CA, Jesse Gregory James was born a distant relative of the historical outlaw Jesse James (a cousin of the younger Jesse’s great-great-grandfather). James, whose parents divorced when he was five, grew up in Long Beach, CA, where his father owned an antique shop that neighbored a large aftermarket motorcycle parts warehouse. He played football at La Sierra High School, as well as later at the University of California, Riverside, before falling victim to a career-ending knee injury.

Sidelined by his injury, the 6’2 James, who could bench-press 400 pounds, became a professional bodyguard, touring the world with celebrated metal bands including Danzig, Slayer and Soundgarden. While touring, he met his first wife, Karla, with whom he had two children, daughter Chandler and son Jesse Jr.

After dislocating an elbow during a show in Detroit, he left the bodyguard business to follow his true passion for motorcycles – an interest that had started upon receiving a mini-bike at age seven. He decided to begin a new career building custom motorcycles – already an on-again, off-again hobby anyway. After working under several legendary custom hot rodders, including Boyd Coddington, in the early 1990s, James decided to set out on his own, despite of a lack of investors, bank loans or business partners (not counting his mother, whose garage was West Coast Choppers’ first headquarters).

Over time, the company and its meticulously-crafted custom bikes developed a strong following, thanks in no small part to the outlaw image and natural star quality of its CEO. In 2001, producer Thom Beers discovered James during research for “Motorcycle Mania” (The Discovery Channel, 2002). That production and its sequels, “Motorcycle Mania II” (2002) and “Motorcycle Mania III” (2004), ultimately all featured James.

Although his bikes cost as much as $150,000, and often required as much as a year-long wait, James’ mix of quality workmanship and personality attracted big dollars and A-list celebrities, including basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, model Tyson Beckford and the aforementioned Kid Rock. James became known for tailoring each of his special-order motorcycle to the specific buyer, a process so specific that he actually took numerous measurements of the rider and factored those into the design of each bike. With its newfound visibility and financial success, West Coast Choppers’ staff ballooned to over 50 people and began to outgrow its 18,000 square foot space. The attention even made the name “West Coast Choppers” a recognizable clothing brand.

Celebrities sought James out personally, as well as professionally. On Oct. 20, 2002, he married porn star Janine Lindemulder – also known for gracing the cover of the band Blink 182’s more popular CDs as a nurse. The following year, James left Lindemulder while she was seven months pregnant with his second daughter, Sunny. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2004. He went on to date A-list actress, Sandra Bullock, after the actress arranged for her young godson, who was a fan, to watch the taping of an episode of his show. The unlikely coupling culminated in a July 16, 2005 wedding in Santa Barbara, CA – a marital merger which raised his profile outside the reality TV/motorcycle worlds in which he normally circulated.

Sensing his growing mass appeal, the Discovery Channel made James the host of “Monster Garage,” a reality show in which he supervised teams of mechanics and engineers tasked with transforming ordinary vehicles into one-of-a-kind machines. A typical transformation was when an old milk truck was converted into a mobile milking station that could not only milk a cow, but pasteurize and dispense it by the glass. James’ real life business, West Coast Choppers became an integral part of the TV program, as the “Monster Garage” team often utilized James’ shop and machinery to help them meet the challenges of the weekly show. Conveniently, the warehouse that served as Monster Garage's set was located mere blocks from the real-life West Coast Choppers' Long Beach location.

During his heady run on the Discovery Channel, James found time to write a book, I Am Jesse James (Viking Studio) in 2004; become an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church; land on People magazine’s "50 Most Beautiful People" list for 2003; and in the spring of 2006, travel to Iraq to entertain the troops. His latest production was a bit of a departure, but showed his softer, health/ environmentally conscious side when he opened the Cisco Burger restaurant, just down the street from West Coast Choppers in April, 2006. The '50s-style burger stand, named after his pit bull, featured low-fat burritos, organic veggies, and biodegradable wrappings and was as much a success as all other Jesse James ventures.