Cee Cee James

Artist Information

Biography

CEE CEE SIGNS WITH BLUE SKUNK MUSIC!

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELEASE FEBRUARY 2010! Distributed by Burnside Corporate Distribution (BCD).

"When I first heard Cee Cee I was immediately blown away and taken back by the feeling and emotion in her voice. I only fell further in love with each song that I heard." What a phenomenal talent. This is truly a great album of all original music, and the most heartfelt blues I've heard in a long time. "LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL" is sure to have something that appeals to everyone." - Joe Rutan, Blue Skunk Music
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BLUESWAX.COM - Blues Bytes
Don Wilcock - Sittin' In With Cee Cee James

A walk in the Dark - Part One

I think Big Mama - and Janis, for that matter - would welcome Cee Cee James into their sorority. Growling, snarling, grinding, impatient and passionate, pertinent and impertinent, Cee Cee parades the stage like a caged cat. Her vibrato is so tense I expect her vocal chords to snap like a taut rubber band on the next line. She has that crackling, cackling spirit that defined Big Mama and that Janis refined.....although refined is not a word most people would use to define any of the three.

READ PART ONE AT: http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/blueswax/getarchivedfeature.cfm?aaa=zzz&featurenumber=1339

READ PART TWO AT:
http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/blueswax/getarchivedfeature.cfm?aaa=zzz&featurenumber=1342

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CEE CEE JAMES NOMINATED FOR BEST BLUES VOCALIST AND BEST BLUES SONGWRITER BY THE WASHINGTON BLUES SOCIETY!!!
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WINNER - 2010 KLAMATH BLUES SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE WINNER!

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - DON WILCOCK OF BLUESWAX.COM
In his recap of the 2010 - 26th Annual International Blues Challenge

"In my mind, Thornetta Davis and Cee Cee James should have duked it out in a finals diva duel of mythic proportions that would have ended in a sweat-soaked tie. Both are veteran deeply soulful shouters. Look for an upcoming interview with Cee Cee in Blues Wax.
Cee Cee's strep throat growl delivers an earnest gut wrenching sense of pain that mirrors Janis Joplin's moan, but goes beyond Joplin's soul to add layers of nuance with imagery as powerful and painful as the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Her "Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl" is an undiscovered classic of originals with massive crossover potential.
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BIG CHART NEWS:

PICK TO CLICK NUMBER 7 ON XM 74 BB KINGS BLUESVILLE

WASHINGTON BLUES/ROOTS CHARTS #1 EIGHT WEEKS IN A ROW!!!

4/2/10 - #8 IN BLUES ON THE U.S. ROOTS MUSIC REPORT!!! YAH!
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NEW REVIEW

MUSIC UP CLOSE WITH JANIE - FEBRUARY 2010
SkopeMag.com

Cee Cee sometimes has the ghost of Janis Joplin slipping out of her pipes but at other times there's a gospel singer lurking in there or the voice of a hoodoo queen. She's backed by some phenomenal players: Rob "Slideboy" Andrews (slide/rhythm guitar), Dan Mohler (bass), Chris Leighton (drums), and Jason Childs (lead guitar). Cee Cee has four discs out, Spiritually Wet (1999), a demo of covers (2003), He Called Me Angel (2007), and her latest, a swamp-rich bluesy album, Low Down Where the Snakes Crawl. Catch her when you can because her performances are gut-wrenching and cathartic. You'll feel like you've been dropped down the deepest, darkest blues hole and then pulled out, changed, transformed, and rejuvenated. I love everything this woman does! It's pure naked soul.
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HONORARY MENTION FROM
PETE THE BLEWZZMAN
FOR THE 2009 BLEWZZY AWARD FOR BEST CD!

AND "WHITE PICKET FENCE" IS RUNNER UP FOR
SONG OF THE YEAR!

Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro - Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
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KLAMATH BLUES FESTIVAL - PERFORMANCE REVIEW

The real treat of the afternoon was Cee Cee James, a Seattle area blues performer. Her band is ideal for her voice and style and her performance, electrifying. She is one of the few women blues performers who appears to be genuine; the real deal. On some tunes she channeled Janis Joplin; a fact not missed by the DJ who asked her to treat us with the first stanza of Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz...perfectly. If you have any blues in you at all, seek out Cee Cee James. I have been listening to her CD, Low Down Where the Snakes Crawl and love every cut. The fidelity is super. Her band is balanced and sharp. Buy the CD and thrill your neighbors when you play it way too loud, as I am right now.

Rita Ashley - Seattle Executive Careers Examiner
http://www.examiner.com
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WHO LET THE GIRLS OUT?

"...she appears to be loved by some, panned by others, and regardless of the vocal mega talent, has never been recognized by the right people. As her set continued, the vocal talent and stage presence became obvious. Her version of Red House combined great music and lyrics with gutsy, raw vocals and superior stage appeal. This woman is a riveting performer, primarily in the rock and R & B genres. If you like this type of music, I highly recommend taking in one of her shows."

Roy Brown - WA Blues Society Bluesletter
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ABOUT CEE CEE JAMES AND "LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL"

What a long strange trip its been for vocalist/songwriter Cee Cee James whose recent release �LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL� is chock full of a total and complete life shifting journey she began in 2001 as her numb struggling existence got pulled into a vortex of change that lasted seven years.

Born as Christina James in the great fertile Northwest of Portland Oregon among the tall fir trees, full rivers and beautiful moist green landscape, Cee Cee's Mother was forced to move the family to California when Cee Cee was five years old. But the Northwest stayed in her soul and in December 2004, after a sad divorce in 2001, and the loss of her 2nd Partner to cancer in 2004, she bid her long time Southern California musicians farewell, sold her house and took herself back in Portland to metaphorically be born again, stepping into her true self as a woman and human being.

Feeling the continual push from her fans for a new CD, Cee Cee had planned to immediately begin writing and recording when she got settled. Within a few months she had put together a strong band of stellar Portland musicians who very quickly began to get into some of the best blues clubs Portland had to offer. However, the studio sessions for LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL would continue to be out of Cee Cee's reach until late 2007 after yet another move even further North into Washington State where the intense spinning vortex of change finally let go of her life and LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL began to take shape.

Like the green moist Northwest where she was born and now come home to, LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL is rich and full of soul provoking lyrics set into contemporary roots and blues based musical landscapes inspired by Rob "Slideboy" Andrews, Cee Cee's songwriting partner and husband. Rob "Slideboy" Andrews cut his musical path playing bass in the Bay area for 35 years as a sideman for Filmore Slim, Luther Tucker and many other deeply traditional blues lineups. He set the bass down when he married Cee Cee and began playing rhythm and slide guitar where his previously untapped natural songwriting skills began to come through.

Cee Cee's production, arranging skills, and talents were honed and sharpened in the writing and recording of her highly touted late 1999 award winning pop/funk release SPIRITUALLY WET, where she worked side by side with Los Angeles based producer Kaylene Peoples and mixing engineer Rich Mouser. "SPIRITUALLY WET" is full of contemplative lyrics set to "feel good," track heavy, "ear candy" music that dives lyrically into many of the subjects that Cee Cee will always feel passionate about. Freedom to be who you are and letting other people be who they are without judgments or condemnations; the benefits of positive and negative experiences in life; challenging the rules and restrictions we place upon our souls; the questions behind the hunger for love; natures reciprocation in love and in our creative paths; how change in ones personal life has a world wide affect; and how we really don't need to worry about where we are going, as we are always guided to where we need to be and go for our soul's growth.

As a result of the invaluable studio experience with "SPIRITUALLY WET," Cee Cee had a heavy hand in the writing, production and arranging on LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL." "LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL" expresses that seven year chapter of change and includes a huge shift away from the pop and funk she had been previously writing and recording on SPIRITUALLY WET. Hiking on Cowels Mountain in Santee, CA outside of San Diego in the late Spring of 2001, Cee Cee says "I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan whispering to me from the Heavens... "Go back to your roots girl.. go back to what you do best," which I intuitively knew was the blues, low-down roots and soul." Beginning with the sad angst of lost love in the first song and title track, to the final victorious tribute about the man she lost to cancer in "Spirit of the Shaman," Cee Cee weaves in stark, vulnerable and revealing lyrics, her Cherokee roots, and her life changing relationship with the desert.

Cee Cee's soul and artistic influences are all over the map. "Raw and Real," is her criteria. "Out of the box," as she calls it. "Performances, music and lyrics that push the envelope of the soul straight down into the gut of life." Howling Wolf, Big Mamma Thornton, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan; then dippin' into the soul of things - Mavis Staples, Ike and Tina Turner, Bill Withers, Ray LaMontagne, Chris Whitley; and of course the funk - James Brown, Prince and everything in-between; with a recent discovery which she finds 'amazingly stellar,' JJ Grey and Mofro. Cee Cee feels them all and it's obvious in her "low down and gritty" performances where as she says, "My thing is... in all my writing, singing and performance is to make the songs come alive for people. To open up the mind, heart and soul with the fire of an intense gut wrenching performance full of vulnerability, honesty and truth. What else am I up on that stage for?" Cee Cee does just that and more, inspiring strong CD sales with her intense "take no prisoner" performances where the audience climbs inside the deep ache and gut in every note she sings and evokes on stage.

LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL is somewhat tame compared to the kind of energy Cee Cee and her band bring to the live stages they play, but the songs needed to be written after those seven years of intense change in order for her artistic soul to embrace and express the shift and move forward with the significance of those seven years defined by WikiAnswers as "7 signifies divinely determined completeness." Kyle Deibler, President of the Phoenix Blues Society, describes Cee Cee's process in this 'completion' perfectly: "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 lessons. This is definitely an excellent record from a female artist who isn't afraid to bare her soul. I applaud her for that."

Cee Cee is truly hitting her stride with LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL receiving more and more live performance requests, a continually increasing fan base, CD sales, and radio play around the world with two of the cuts from the CD, "Love Makes Change," and "I'll Ask the Questions You Tell the Lies," currently being played on XM 74 - B.B. King's Bluesville.

On November 24th, 2009, Cee Cee's birthday, she awoke to an email from her rep., East Coast Windmill Music's Michael Packer, informing her that Joe Rutan at Blue Skunk Music was interested in signing her to a worldwide distribution/promo deal on "LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL."

"What a birthday present! It's still sinking in that my record is going worldwide! I'm extremely grateful to Michael Packer at Windmill Music, and Joe Rutan at Blue Skunk Music for loving what I do and jumping in to be on my team. It's gonna be a great ride!"

"So keep an eye out for this VOCAL VOLCANO, (as Robert Horn, writer for the Washington Blues Society, has aptly dubbed her), to continue on doing her thing bigger and better than ever before in 2010 as she hits the road regionally and internationally with her stellar low down, raw and real band!
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AIRPLAY
*XM Radio - BB King's Bluesville - XM 74
*KMHD 89.1 FM - The Lowdown W/Jane Martin Manning / http://www.kmhd.fm
*BLUES DELUXE - http://www.rootsmusicreport.com
*KPLU - 88.5 FM Seattle/Tacoma - Weekends with John Kessler
*KSER - 90.7 FM Everett, WA / KSER.org (Clancy's Bar & Grill)
*Hambones Blues Rumshack Podcast, UK / therumshack.com
*KCSB 91.9 Views of the Blues with Steve Daniels
Santa Barbara Blues Society
*WPKN-FM 89.5 & 88.7 New York/Connecticut
*BLUES THERAPY - KWCW - 90.5 FM;
KWCW 90.5 FM Walla Walla, OR
*http://maxwellstreet.ifrance.com/
*Emission Pulsions 70
http://www. radio-aria. net/aria/
http://www. radiosblues. com/
*http://www.highwayblues.org/
*http://www.radiovilafant.net - Spain
*http://www.ms-blues.com -France
*KRVM 91.9 FM, Eugene, OR with Steve Spoulos!
http://www.krvm.org
*WRTB-FM Sunday Morning Blues with Rich Gordon - Rodeford, ILL
*KMUD with JoMamma - Garberville, CA
*Blues.pl/draheim- Poland
*Radiooun.no - Norway
*TakeNamesLater-Kunr-FM, Reno
*AtlantisStraightAhead-Kjiv Community Radio, Reno
*KPSU with Nadine Colb, Portland, OR
*Mojo Blues 94.1 FM Radio 2 - Macedonia
*TOPBLUES - http://www.topblues.com
*Hammered By The Blues - KOWZ1170am So. MN - http://www.boundarywatersradio.com
*CKCU 93.1 FM, Ottawa, ON Canada - www.ckcufm.com W/Misty Blue-D.D. Rocker

Instrumentation

Trio and Full Band Showcases Available
***
~ ~ ~ REGULAR CREW ~ ~ ~
- Cee Cee James - Vocals
- Rob Andrews - Slide/Rhythm Guitar
- Jason Childs - Lead Guitar
- Dan Mohler - Bass
- Chris Leighton - Drums

Discography

~ LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL ~
(C)(P) 2008 FWG Records
Listen here on Audio Link!

~ SERIOUSLY RAW - Cee Cee James - LIVE AT SUNBANKS ~
(C)(P) 2010 FWG Records
Listen at ceeceejames.com

~ HE CALLED ME ANGEL ~
(C)(P) 2007 FWG Records
Listen here on Audio Link!

~ DEMO DISK (Covers) 2003
Listen at ceeceejames.com

~ SPIRITUALLY WET ~
(C)(P) 1999 FWG Records
2001 Los Angeles Music R&B Award
Listen here at www.sonicbids.com/funkywhitegirl

Links

• Cee Cee James - My Space
• FunkyWhiteGirl - Sonic Bids
• FunkyWhiteGirl - CDBaby

Audio

• Make It To The Other Side
  Listen  
• Love Makes Change
  Listen  
• Done Love Wrong
  Listen  
• Black Raven
  Listen  
• Spirit of The Shaman
  Listen  
• Watermelon Lucy
  Listen  
• Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl
  Listen  
• White Picket Fence
  Listen  
• Desert Blues
  Listen  
• Roll Me Over
  Listen  
• I'll Ask The Questions, You Tell The Lies
  Listen  
• SINGLE - He Called Me Angel
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl
• Black Raven
• Done Love Wrong

Video

Compilation

Photo Gallery

Press

• CREAM OF THE CROP! [+ Show ]
  

  ..."There is only one CD produced this year that made my "cream of the crop" list so far. Now there......"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 by Cee Cee James and her band."
  
  FOR FULL REVIEW VISIT:
  http://www.ceeceejames.com

• KENTUCKIANA BLUES SOCIETY [+ Show ]
  

  Cee Cee's latest CD is a testament to her past, her link with the blues and her rock-solid spiritual...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.

• BLUES LOVERS UNITED SAN DIEGO [+ Show ]
  

  Ok, stop me if you've heard the one about the female blues singer who sings just like Janis Joplin. ...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.

• CASCADE BLUES ASSOC - Blues Notes [+ Show ]
  

  "Listening to "Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl" will certainly keep you riveted to the soaring inten..."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."
  
  Full Review at: http://www.ceecejames.com

• TAXI - Interview [+ Show ]
  

  Q: Where did you grow up? A: I was Born in Portland, OR. However, the majority of my growing up y...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 up my sleeve which I am currently working on that will launch sometime in the Spring of 2009.

• You are the new Janis Joplin! [+ Show ]
  

  "it's terribly fantastic! Your voice is great, you are the new Janis Joplin! Michel RUER Mich..."it's terribly fantastic! Your voice is great, you are the new Janis Joplin!
  
  Michel
  
  RUER Michel
  Emission Pulsions 70
  Radio Aria
  
  http://www. radio-aria. net/aria/
  http://www. myspace. com/pulsions70
  http://www. radiosblues. com/
  http://www. myspace. com/collectifdesradiosblues
  

• A DELICIOUS Taste of Music! [+ Show ]
  

  WPKN-FM WPKM-FM - Voice of "Antique Blues" 89.5 & 88.7 Bridgeport, CT / Montauk, NY http://www.wp...WPKN-FM WPKM-FM - Voice of "Antique Blues" 89.5 & 88.7
  Bridgeport, CT / Montauk, NY
  http://www.wpkn.org
  
  Cee Cee James, continues to deliver with some very moving tunes on her latest cd, "Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl." Her vocal skills really shine on "Black Raven," "Love Makes Change," "Make It To The Other Side," and "Done Love Wrong" with very talented musicians, who make this a delicious taste of music!!
  

• Now Hear This! [+ Show ]
  

  "But by far the most recognizable characteristic to her sound is her voice. That soulful growl can ..."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."
  
  READ FULL REVIEW:
  http://www.ceeceejames.com/press.html

• If The Soul of Blues Needed... [+ Show ]
  

  "If the soul of blues music needed a voice it would sing like Cee Cee James. If blues music needed a..."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...."
  
  READ FULL REVIEW:
  http://www.ceeceejames.com/press.html
  ____________________________
  DRENCHED AND DRAINED
  Stu Winkleman - LA Studio Musician
  
  "Cee Cee James doesn't produce blues that you talk over or take lightly. She sings with a drive and delivery that makes you sit up and take notice. And when she is done, you may just be as drenched and drained as she is. Wow, don't miss a chance to see her wail. It is really something special!"
  
  READ FULL REVIEW:
  http://www.ceeceejames.com/press.html

• Personal Fan Review [+ Show ]
  

  I have to tell you that my very best girlfriend lost her husband to cancer last Friday. He was only ...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.....Peace & blessings,
  June

Setlist

Showcases can run anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours and consist of Original Roots Rock and Blues, Soul, Gospel, and carefully selected covers.

Repertoire will vary depending on venue and crowd.

BUT regardless of cover tunes or originals, Cee Cee always chooses songs that entertain, get people feeling good, dancing and having a great time.

Basic Requirements

Calendar