cee josephs

Cee Josephs – from tragedy to triumph

The versatile gospel singer/songwriter, nutrition guru, on how family life and church taught her to sing, and how tragedy propelled her into the recording business.

Her Nina Simone inspired voice, and fluid singing styles have captured the heart, if not yet the pocket books of churchgoers, and those who just want to be blessed – everywhere. Caribbean inflected cuts such as “Peace Within Me” and ‘Thank You Father’ from her first album have become her signature.
“My ultimate joy is singing to people, and being in the studio creating songs’ says the Jamaican contralto.

How did you learn to sing?

I remember at the age of 4, or 5 being on stage at a church concert, reciting poetry, with my father as the prompter. I couldn’t remember the lines, so I started singing instead. At six years I was the youngest member of the choir, and in subsequent years, it seems I was always the youngest member of any choir or group that I sang with. And they were many. My mother was a great soprano, and my father sang baritone and played the guitar.

Do you still have dreams of greatness?

When I was about 16 years old my pastor’s wife predicted that I would be great one day. Well ‘great’ is relative. I believe most of the things I have accomplished were done well. But I still think there is so much more that God has in store for me (to do), and I have all of these God-given songs and ideas that I want to share with the world.

What influenced you to sing?

There were fourteen of us in the family, including my parents, and everyone had his/her favorite genre of music. So I listened to everything. Most of my siblings were older than I. Oddly enough I seemed to be the only one that enjoyed listening to classical music for long periods of time. My parents noted that and sent me to piano lessons. As a teenager, on Saturday nights, if there were no church social, we would curl up in the living room and listen to soul music of the ‘50s through the ‘70s.

We grew up in the church, and every morning, and most evenings we would have worship, at which we would sing hymns. I know just about every hymn. Most of us sing well, and even our dog would sing at worship. At church we had youth meetings and here you get the opportunity to sing, act, and recite poetry.

Who are your influences?

I met Bob Marley as a young girl. He liked one of my older sisters’ friend who lived on our street. He would visit her after football sessions. Of course, that was before he became great. I went once to hear him perform at an uptown club. I don’t think I need to say how much his music means to me. I would be echoing what all Jamaicans would say.
My sisters also knew The Jamaicans, who would hang out at our house at times. Strangely enough, my mother was the best friend of Duke Reid’s wife, yet as a singer she never entertained the thought of going in the studio. I think that the studio was considered evil. It was pretty much only secular music was being recorded at the time, and of course, we were Christians. I listen to every kind of music and artist. I draw inspiration from music art and life. I sang songs of Sandi Patti, Anita Baker and Whitney Houston.

Did you get voice training?

I was molded by two decades of classical voice training. In high school I won several medals and awards in the annual Jamaica Festival of Music competition. When I emigrated to the US I immediately began voice and piano lessons. My teacher thought I was promising in piano but observed that all I seem to want to do was sing. She didn’t want to take my money in vain, so I stopped piano, again, for the 3rd time.

As a soloist I sang with groups like the Roy Prescod Chorale, doing such works as Mendelsohn’s ‘Elijah’, Shubert’s ‘Stabat Mater’, Gounod’s Messe Solonnelle, to name a few. As a paid soloist with The Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church in Brooklyn NY, I sang oratorios as Handel’s ‘ Messiah’, Dubois’ ‘Seven Last Words of Christ’, etc.
With the choirs of the famed Riverside Church in NYC, and the historical Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, I performed and recorded Paul Halley’s ‘Freedom Trilogy’ in the 1999 ‘Great Music At Plymouth’ concert series.

What were the obstacles you faced on coming to America?

I joined my mother and siblings and started college. But essentially I was on my own. What I really wanted to do was music. But a career in music was not seen as a wise move, especially when one has to fend for one self. So I studied nutrition. However I continued to sing in choirs, and studied voice.

I remember, after completing my undergraduate degree, I told my mentor/ boss “ Now I can do music”.
But she encouraged me to do a graduate degree in nutrition because “ in a few years the BSc degree won’t mean much”. I was listening to everybody but God.

When did you begin to write and record your music?

It happened out of the blue. I loved poetry, and wou