Jah Stitch was born 27th July, 1949 in Kingston Jamaica as Melbourne James. He was brought up in the same singing yard as singers Roy Shirley, Stranger Cole and The Heptones. Together with a friend called Finger he started the Sound System Fingertone. The sound would later evolve to the legendary Lord Tippertone sound system. Around this time Jah Stitch also met Bunny Lee. They started a musical and personal friendship. Stitch's first release was however produced by Errol Holt with the single »Danger Zone«. Jah Stitch soon left Tippertone and joined Black Harmony Sound which wasn't taken to keenly resulting in the shooting of Stitch outside of Bob Marleys shop in Kingstons Beeston Street. He would miraculously survive the bullet even though rumors spread that the shot was fatal, even reaching Bunny Lee who was in England at the time trying to get Jah Stitch material released. A picture taken at the hospital with John Holt and Ken Boothe was sent out to reconfirm that Jah Stitch actually had survived. This incident would lead to Jah Stitch reinventing himself as a deejay. He now cut »No Dread Can't Dead« where he had an almost spoken delivery - the song was a major critical success.

In the 80's he changed his name to Major Stitch. He also joined Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion focusing instead on selecting for the sound and supervising the cutting of dubplates. He was responsible for the first recording efforts of Yami Bolo, Nitty Gritty, Pinchers and Tenor Saw. By '96 Stitch was living near Bunny's studio in Duhaney Park, Kingston.