Cee Cee James

Music:

Member Since: 20/02/2008
Band Website: http://www.ceeceejames.com
Band Members: ***LIVE SHOWS***

(Available for Trio and Full Band Showcases)
CEE CEE JAMES - Lead Vocals
ROB SLIDEBOY ANDREWS - Slide/Rhythm Guitar
JAMES HOWARD - Lead Guitar
DAN MOHLER - Bass
CHRIS LEIGHTON - Drums

An EXTREMELY BIG THANKS to Ron Beatteay at Pixations.com for filming our shows! Visit his site: SweetBluesNW.com!

And MORE BIG THANK YOU'S to ROB 'SLIDEBOY' ANDREWS (Rhythm/Slide Guitar), DAN MOHLER (Bass), DAVID MALONY (Drums), RICK JONES (Bass), TERRY NELSON (Hammond), JEFFREY LYLE (Lead/Rhythm Guitar), JAMES HOWARD (Lead Guitar), LARRY NEUBAUER (Piano/Keys), MICHAEL WILDE (Harmonica), and last but not least, BONGOMAN BENNETT (Percussion), whose STELLAR talents appear on the new CD.

Influences: Lazy Lester ~ ROBERT NIGHTHAWK ~ Johnny Guitar Watson ~ EARL HOOKER ~ Robin Trower ~ LUTHER ALLISON ~ Staple Singers ~ MAVIS STAPLES ~ Otis Clay ~ STEVIE RAY ~ Howlin Wolf ~ BILL WITHERS ~ Prince ~ IKE AND TINA TURNER ~ Allman Brothers ~ TERRY EVANS ~ Otis Span ~ CHAMBERS BROTHERS ~ Chaka Khan and Rufus ~ JOE COCKER ~ Clifton Cheener ~ COCO TAYLOR ~ Big Mamma Thorton
Basically anything RAW, SWEATY and REAL that moves you to your bones baby!

Sounds Like: BLUES LOVERS UNITED OF SAN DIEGO - Michael Kinsman, President
Ok, stop me if you've heard the one about the female blues singer who sings just like Janis Joplin. We've heard them, women who think they can growl and shout just like Joplin. Unfortunately, they almost always are inferior to the real thing. But here comes Cee Cee James getting constant comparisons with Janis and looking good. Her new CD sounds like something Joplin should have recorded, but it's not about shouting and growling. Cee Cee chooses to take on the subtler side of Joplin's vocal style. She purrs and sings with a soft, controlled approach. Cee Cee wins credit for producing a CD that even Joplin would have applauded.
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KENTUCKIANA BLUES SOCIETY BLUES NEWS - Les Reynolds
Cee Cee's latest CD is a testament to her past, her link with the blues and her rock-solid spirituality. The 11 tunes mix roots, blues, rock, funk and even something that could be called "spiritual folk." Husband Rob Andrews lends his warm, fat electric slide guitar to the mix on several occasions; however, it is Cee Cee's emotion-drenched, soulful, sometimes gritty voice that accentuates every ache, every cry, laugh and growl in every tune. Comparisons to Janis aside, her voice is what anchors this CD. For someone hidden away, a 'best-kept secret of the NW' you might say, this artist has all the earmarks of a talent just waiting to burst onto the national scene. This girl's really "got it." And you should get it... the CD that is.
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PHOENIX BLUES SOCIETY - Kyle Deibler, President
LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL has been one of the more interesting records I’ve had a chance to listen to so far this year. Cee Cee James writes songs from a place of emotional honesty that few artists care to reveal. The result is an intimate, sometimes guttural view of a woman who isn’t afraid to face her demons and work out her life’s lessons. From that perspective, “I’ll Ask the Questions" and Watermelon Lucy” seem oddly out of place to me. Perhaps one of these days I’ll cross paths with Cee Cee and she can explain those tunes to me.
But this is definitely an excellent record from a female artist who isn’t afraid to bear her soul. I applaud her for that. And I encourage you to look her up, you can find out more about Cee Cee on her website at www.ceeceejames.com.
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WA BLUES SOCIETY BLUESLETTER - Roy Brown
There is only one CD produced this year that made my 'CREAM OF THE CROP' list so far. Now there are two. If you want to find a CD that you will listen to for a long, long time, pick up 'LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL.'
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NOW HEAR THIS! - Reviewer - Randy Sanders
"But by far the most recognizable characteristic to her sound is her voice. That soulful growl can be mistaken for that of the late, great, Janis Joplin."
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UK FAN - BILL CHISHOLM
"HI CEE CEE, GOT THE CD, IT'S GREAT. YOU ARE THE BEST FEMALE BLUES SINGER SINCE JANIS JOPLIN, CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE, ALL THE BEST, BILL"
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TAXI REVIEWS... Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl, Love Makes Change, Done Love Wrong
The vocals on these tracks are outstanding, Christina. The voice wraps around the rhythms with precision and force. The grooves are determined and move through the tracks with a solid form that still allows some flexibility to come in for contrast. The riffs are tasty and work with the vocals well, coming in as a playful as a kitten, adding tons of flourish.
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CASCADE BLUES ASSOCIATION - Blues Notes - Greg Johnson
"Listening to "Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl" will certainly keep you riveted to the soaring intense vocals of Cee Cee James. Obvious comparisons with Janis Joplin or maybe former Stone The Crows' Blues-Rock vocalist Maggie Bell will pop right to mind. But leave the comparisons behind . Cee Cee delivers her own unique grit and sass with her bold, impassionate voice that she needs to be reminded of nobody but herself."
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ILONA J. PASSINO, SCULPTOR - San Diego, CA
You are fabulous and we loved every minute of your concert. I sincerely wished you lived in San Diego because I think we would be at all your performances. You are that good! You should be at the top of the charts! I hope and pray that you will be soon. Your songs are so good. It is a rare person who can perform beautifully and write their own songs too. Elizabeth was not kidding when she told me how good you were.
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PORTLAND OREGON FAN - Caroline
Miss James- I saw you at the Trails End Saloon on your birthday and you rocked the shit out of that bar. Come back to Portland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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STU WINKLEMAN - LA STUDIO GUITARIST
"Cee Cee James delivers the punch of a two-ton truck dropped from the balcony...right onto your head. Her vocals are without a doubt some of the most gut-wrenching, hard-driving sounds to ever grace the blues. If she doesn't raise the hair on your arms, you ain't listening!"
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CENTRAL OREGON BLUES SOCIETY (COBS) - Barb Storrier
I've been Listening to Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl, while creating art lately ... it is so inspiring for me. You've really put your heart and soul into this music, and it comes through brilliantly, touching those deep places in the heart. Thank you so much for all you do, you are truly an angel in more ways than you will ever know. I know this most recent creative effort of yours will touch many people in many ways, and I am so pleased to be able to share the experience with friends.
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CEE CEE JAMES GRITTY NEW RELEASE PROVES EASY TO ENJOY - KT - Positively Entertainment, Portland, OR
Low Down Where the Snakes Crawl opens up a new window on the blues/R&B scene. If you're not gonna dance, lay back and disappear."
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BILL NOLAN - ANTIQUE BLUES RADIO WPKN-FM WPKM-FM - Voice of "Antique Blues" 89.5 & 88.7 Bridgeport, CT / Montauk, NY
I'm in command of your two track teaser from your upcoming CD, and both songs are mighty fine tunes with track one coming out on top, as far as listener response goes. I have to admit, track one , "I Done Love Wrong," is an excellent piece of work. Do I hear a little bit of Janis Joplin,or Big Mama Thornton, who may have been your influences? Really looking forward to the full CD of your wonderful seething & sensuous vocal treatments of the blues genre. You're on the right track baby!!
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SAN DIEGO MUSIC MATTERS
"If the soul of blues music needed a voice it would sing like Cee Cee James. If blues music needed a sultry mama with a kickin' band to rock the blues, then look no further than the Cee Cee James Band. This band breathes the rock into roadhouse blues...."
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20 Q & A WITH CEE CEE JAMES - San Diego Troubadour
Q: What Does the Blues Mean to You?
A: The ummm humm and the uh huhs of life, in music. Again, it's the soul, the gut, the raw, the real, the basic, but very deep feel of it all. And it don't matter what the lyrics are - what matters is how it feels. The blues is about feel, pure and simple.
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JUNE ZOUL - A Very Special Personal Fan
I have to tell you that my very best girlfriend lost her husband to cancer last Friday. He was only 50 years old. I was with her for many days during his illness, and she always said that he called her his "Angel", especially towards the end. She stayed the night with us last night, & this morning we were going through my CD's to see if I had anything she might want to play at his memorial service.....I guess you may already know what I'm going to say......we cried together as we listened to your "He called me Angel" CD....It blew her away.....you've touched another life in ways you'll never know. Thank you for you.....
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TAXI - Interview
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was Born in Portland, OR. However, the majority of my growing up years were in California.
Q: What made you realize that music was your path?
A: A continual nagging desire since childhood to perform from the gut of myself, which I experimented with in acting and modeling, but always dabbling in music because of my writing and singing abilities. I found that in music, I could be the total of who I was and not have to fit into some mold that a photographer or a director required. This was the freedom to write from the core of my life experiences and give of them with voice and performance.
Q: How would you describe the music that you typically create?
A: Life heavy lyrics laid into rhythmic blues rooted rock and soul.
Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: Prince, Chaka Khan, Bill Withers, Big Mamma Thorton, Luther Allison, Howlin’ Wolf, Mavis Staples, Old style Tina Turner. Basically anything real, raw, and sweaty from the gut.
Q: What makes your music unique?
A: The raw and real vocal feel and the depth of the lyric content.
Q: Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most proud of?
A: Well there are many but the ones that stick out as ‘the one’ time after time is each time a fan comes up after a show, or a fan writes after listening to our music and tells me how much it has touched their heart, and/or moved their soul. Those moments are really what keeps me goin’ beyond all else.
Q: What's next for you?
A: Continuing to write, record, and tour extensively in the U.S. and Europe. As well, I have some other interesting promotional ideas which I am currently working on that will launch sometime this year.

Record Label: FWG Records
Type of Label: Indie