Growing up, James Culpepper always had a flair for the drums. Although he played keyboards in a band outside of school, James was a percussionist in his High School band and structured most of his own music around drums and percussion. While working a day job in Austin, TX, James made time for daily practice. It was not until joining his second band, however, that James decided to make the switch to playing drums full-time.
While living in Belton, TX, James met Lacey Mosley, singer of Flyleaf. The two began to collaborate, bringing a harder edge to Lacey's acoustic songwriting. "Really, it's just songs that she had already ...she wanted to make them rock" states Culpepper. Before long, the duo began playing with additional musicians giving birth to Flyleaf.