Music
Press
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Discography
First Release:
"Hear Me" -KEO Music Lable-2000
"Black Star"-Three Keys-2003
"YahZarah Introducing Purple St. James"-Mahogony2007
Vocals and Arrangements on:
1. Erykah Badu-"Mama's Gun"
Purple contributed vocals and arrangements under the name YahZarah on "Didn't Cha Know", "Orange Moon", "In Love With U" , and
"Bag Lady".
2. The Foreign Exchange-"Connected"
Wrote and performed on "Sincere", FE Intro, and "FE Outro"
3. Little Brother-"The Minstrel Show"
Contributed vocals and arrangements on
"Minstrel Show Theme", "Fith and Fashion", "Minstrel Show Outro"
4.Dave Ghetto- "Stuggle"
Wrote on song and contributed vocals to "Struggle".
5. Strange Fruit- "The Healing"
Co Produced wrote on and contributed vocals to
"God Is"
Photos
Bio
Purple St. James is an artist who invokes memories of the soul greats of the past. Hip Hop had a baby with Tina, Parliament and Minnie. Her name is Purple St. James. Funky, beautiful and passionate, her sound pushes the envelope at times, while being subtly sexy and familiar at other times.
People who witness a Purple St. James performance usually walk away with an adrenaline rush and a tingling feeling running up and down their spines. In her former life, you may have known her as a shooting black star named YahZarah. The former student from the renowned Duke Ellington School of Music has performed with such musical legendary geniuses as Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker and Dave Brubek. She has made an incredible transformation in a short amount of time. In a span of seven years, Purple St. James went from a music scholarship student at North Carolina Central University to a background singer for one of the founders of the neo-soul movement, Erykah Badu. Now, she is a soul artist in her own right.
Under the name YahZarah , Purple St. James released two musical ventures to date: “Hear Me” (released on the Keo Music label) and “Black Star” (released on the Three Keys label). She has graced the stage with artists like Floetry , Musiq Soul Child, Kem, Donnie, Amel Larrieux, Goapele, Talib Kweli, Rahsaan Paterson, Raheem Davoughn , Chaka Kahn, Bilal Oliver, The Roots, and the list goes on and on.
Purple St. James has created a unique mold that cannot be replicated. She is one of a kind. She is the confluence of that which is both classic and cutting edge. Hearing Purple St. James elevate from a soul diva to a funk shaman causes your ears and soul to be inundated with a sound that's part Shirley Caesar and part Sly Stone, with a touch of the Brides of Funkenstein. Prepare to be pulled in, and to become hooked on Ms. Purple St. James. For booking, contact Eric @ ericpristell@gmail.com.
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