James Kok was a Romanian violinist, bandleader, and arranger, born on January 24, 1902, in Cernauti, Romania, now Chernovtsy, Ukraine. He passed away on October 18, 1976, in Berlin, Germany. Kok was a multifaceted musician, proficient in playing the violin, saxophone, clarinet, and piano. His musical journey began under the influence of his father, an enthusiastic amateur violinist and community leader in Cernauti.

Kok pursued formal music education at the Prague Conservatory, focusing on the violin while also mastering other instruments. In 1923, to avoid military service in Romania, he relocated to Berlin, Germany, where he started his first dance band. His bands were known for playing in the style of the Jimmie Lunceford and Casa Loma orchestras, although Kok himself was not considered an outstanding jazz soloist.

In Berlin, Kok quickly rose to prominence, securing engagements in the city's most popular clubs and dance halls, and touring cities like Hamburg, Dresden, Warnemünde, Vienna, and Basel. By 1931, he had formed one of Berlin's most successful orchestras, employing talented musicians who later gained fame.

However, Kok's career in Germany was disrupted after 1933 due to the rise of the Nazi regime. His 'non-Aryan' heritage led to his blacklisting by the Reichsmusikkammer, and he was declared an "undesirable foreigner," prompting his departure from Germany in 1935. He returned to Romania, where he formed a new band that became a major attraction in Bucharest.

With the onset of World War II, Kok moved to Switzerland in 1939. There, he continued his musical endeavors with a new band composed of Swiss musicians, maintaining his success until health issues forced him to stop playing the violin. After spending much of the 1960s in the United States, Kok returned to Berlin in 1969, where he lived until his death.