James Tyler (1940–2010) was an American lutenist, banjoist and guitarist. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He studied banjo and mandolin with Walter K. Bauer (1954–1958), then lute with Joseph Iadone (1958–1961). During the 1970s and 1980s he performed and recorded in London with Musica Reservata, the Consort of Musicke and the Early Music Consort of London. In 1986 he became professor of music at the University of Southern California, a post he held until retiring in 2006. He died on November 23, 2010, aged 70.

He helped pioneer an early music revival with more than 60 recordings. He was considered an expert on the Renaissance and Baroque guitars. As a musicologist he researched and transcribed hundreds of early music works. His books include The Early Guitar: A History (Oxford University Press, 1980) and The Early Mandolin (1992, with Paul Sparks). In 1977 he founded the London Early Music Group, an ensemble which lasted until 1990. He also left a legacy in his students.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tyler_(musician)
• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6144494