You can now purchase Jan's entire music catalog at the new Jan James Digital Music Store !Also check out a sample from Jan's summer performance at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, MI, which is available in the above mentioned Digital Store .
Jan James
This tale comes right out of the inner soul of the blues. What kind of artist finds their way to Chicago after having learned licks on a guitar from a Tennessee guy named Catfish? What kind of artist hones powerful vocals in a church choir and then translates that emotion into a deep understanding of the blues? Jan James is that kind of artist.
Raised in central Michigan on a family-run fishing resort, Jan's talent was obvious early on. She always loved to sing, but the first time she realized her talent was when she was asked to solo in her church choir. She looked out and saw that people had tears in their eyes. That was the beginning.
"The more I played guitar and the more I tried out the voice I learned to use in the church choir", says Jan, "The more I liked it."
And so did everyone else.
She was continually invited to sing at public gatherings and, like all the great artists, the seduction and thrill of performing onstage soon matched her talent.
Jan met her partner, songwriter/guitarist Craig Calvert, while they were both attending Michigan State. She was working in a duo, performing regularly at a small café. When she needed to replace her guitar player, the timing was right. Craig was taking a break from his punk band. They met and developed a musical chemistry that has evolved into a big sound and feel that is colored with blues, soul and the sweet dynamics of the power of rock. Jan and Craig formed a band, Flying Tigers. Jan's voice and the Tigers' unique blend of rock, soul, and rock-a-billy would quickly spread to a large fanbase in their homestate of Michigan.
After their performances together established a solid reputation for them in the Detroit area, a self released album came out and quickly sold out the pressing and attention came from legendary MC5 manager John Sinclair who would soon become their manager and Jan was voted Best Female Vocalist by the Detroit Metro Times.
All good things come to an end. Jan and Craig's chemistry was dynamic and after some changes took place in the band they decided it was time to move on. They moved to Chicago. It was there that Jan was able to finally realize her in-born calling to the blues. With Craig's guitar virtuosity behind her, there was no stopping them. The blues capital was good to them, and they to it. They became favorites in such venues as Buddy Guys Blues Legends, Taste of Chicago and The House of Blues. They shared the stage with Koko Taylor, John Mayall, Little Feat, James Brown and B.B. King. They cut their first demo, a powerhouse CD called Last Train and were picked up by the Amsterdam based label Provogue, in yet another example of the wide appeal that American blues has throughout Europe.
Jan launched a promotional tour of acoustic and electric performances aired on radio and television throughout The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Scandanavia; along with a feature on NBC's television program, Talking Blues.
The press raved: "Voices of the caliber of Jan James are rare in today's pop music" and, "Her upbeat rock/blues is exceptionally radio-friendly and very stylishly executed."
More albums followed: Soul Desire, The Color of Rose and the critically acclaimed, Limousine Blues.Four songs from Limousine Blues were commissioned by MSNBC for their special documenting the civil rights movement Brown vs. The Board of Education, an achievement that made Jan especially proud.
"This is the best singer we've heard this year"
Detroit Free Press
"First class...great songwriting...powerful performer"
British Blues Connection--London
"A real gem of an artist, a classic find"
New York Times
"Nothing short of extraordinary"
Michigan State News
"Jan James gives life to a musical tradition...Joplin singing for the Faces, Stones"
Telegraph---Amsterdam/Netherlands
Comparisons to legendary artists are often soaked in hype and are sometimes unfair both to the legend and to the musician who is carrying on the legacy. But sometimes they are necessary. Sometimes they must be made; not just for the sake of similarity but for the sake of the importance that keeping something so stark and vital alive means to the art. Since the first time Jan opened her mouth to sing the comparison to Janis Joplin had been made so when the offer was made to her,
Jan performed at Chicago's Royal George Theater in the starring role of Janis Joplin in "Love, Janis", a play based on Janis' letters and songs written by Ms Joplin's sister Laura. Along with the standing ovations, there was so much more. There was not only the power of what Janis had left for us, there was the power of seeing someone capable of carrying on that legacy. When asked the inevitable question of how she feels about the constant Janis comparisons, Jan says, "I realize that comparisons are important to people in some way and if I have to be compared to someone I can't think of anyone I'd rather be compared to than Janis."
Jans latest CD, Drive Me Home, is a pure and commanding showcase of her heritage and her talent from start to finish. Each and every cut demonstrates just how good she is. Jan accomplishes the task of showing us her influences while remaining true to her own powerful style. She respects the rich heritage that brought her to this, but also brings a fresh voice to it. This is what modern blues should be.
This is Jan James.
Drive Me Home available at www.janjames.com and www.cdbaby.com
