The Korgis released their first single "Young 'n' Russian" in early March 1979 on the label Rialto Records, owned by their managers Nick and Tim Heath. Their next single "If I Had You," was released soon after, and moved up Number 13 on the UK Singles Chart , prompting the release of an eponymous debut album, The Korgis, in July 1979.

Their next single, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" (1980), from their second album Dumb Waiters, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, hitting Number 5 in the UK , and #18 in the U.S.. The Dumb Waiters album reached Number 40 in the UK in 1980 and was followed by singles "If It's Alright With You Baby" and "Rovers Return". The band was alternately marketed as a duo, a trio and a quartet around this time. The commercial breakthrough was however not enough to keep them together, and after a third album, Sticky George - and with lead single "That Was My Big Mistake" being released as 'James Warren & The Korgis' marking the fact that the group had now more or less evolved into a one man band, Davis and Warren went their separate ways. The single "Don't Look Back", originally a demo from the Sticky George sessions, was however remixed by Trevor Horn (at the time best known for his work with The Buggles, Dollar and Yes) and issued by London Records in the summer of 1982. A follow-up single with Horn, "Endangered Species", was planned but never materialised.

Warren would go on to issue a solo LP entitled Burning Questions in 1986, while some of the singles during this era were still released as 'The Korgis' and co-produced by Andy Davis.

The band got back together in 1990 to re-record "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime". The re-formed group consisting of James Warren, Andy Davis and new member John Baker released the album This World's For Everyone in 1992, having some success in Continental Europe and Japan, before breaking up again.

1999 saw the three original Korgis albums being digitally remastered and re-issued by Edsel Records and was followed by the two disc anthology Don't Look Back - The Very Best Of The Korgis in 2003, issued by Sanctuary Records/Castle Music.

In 2005 Warren, Davis and Baker reunited again for a film shoot for DVD/compilation album Kollection and recorded the fourteen-track album Unplugged, which was released on the Angel Air record label the following year.

In 2006 they released their first single in thirteen years, "Something About The Beatles".