Short Version

In her previous reincarnation as the "the funkywhitegirl," Cee Cee James took home not only the 2001 Los Angeles Music R&B Award, but was a JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST runner up in the TOP 10 R&B Song Category.

However Cee Cee was really born to sing the blues and has since turned her funked up soul stuff into ‘WHISKEY DRENCHED ROADHOUSE BLUES!’

If you wanna hear and feel the ‘REAL DEAL,’ Cee Cee James is a MUST SEE igniting the stage with a fire and energy reminiscent of many of the great performers of our time such as Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker and countless others who disappear into the SOUL, SWEAT, AND DEEP FEEL of the music...

We sincerely hope you enjoy the ride!!

Long Version

Before Cee Cee James, there was Christina. Her Mom sang in church, her Dad sang in nightclubs.

In the back seat of her parents old 1958 Chevy, in Portland, OR, the little girl belted out the words to the song "Sonny" as it played on the car radio.

Her parents looked at her with strange curiosity.

Sitting in a Pentecostal church pew in Oakland, CA at 11 years old aching to be a part of the African American Choir that swayed back and forth, singing out songs that moved you to your core, made the hair stand up on your arms, and made you want to raise your arms to the heavens and shout! A Black Soul Sister taught little Christina how to play the tambourine and do the dance called 'The Four Corners.' She never made it to the choir. You had to be 13 and they left the church when she was 12.

On another church pulpit as a young adolescent Christina sang Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog and Put Your Hand in The Hand of the Man Who Stilled The Water, with the little Sunday School Church Band she had formed. She wore a blond wig, lots of green eye shadow and mascara!

Talent Contest Winner in Junior High School with her passionate rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," as her Mother beamed from the audience!

In Kimball, NE, the new shy sophomore kid in school was ask to sing 'Killing Me Softly' at the Junior Senior Prom Dinner. Her knees and voice shook so bad one of the teachers said... "Honey that was real nice, but I thought you was gonna have a heart attack!" And he was serious!

Skipping ahead to last year of High School - Livingston, CA. Music on the back burner...drama class took over her attentions. First and Second Place Ribbons for her renditions of 'The Button,' and 'Walter Mitty.' Her classmates and teacher told her she was going to be famous.

Skipping way ahead of all the talent shows, weddings and family functions she sang at. Who cares... boring... Ha... But she learned to keep her knees from shaking, and her voice!

Landing in Oklahoma, she began to play a turquoise Carvin Bass while her husband played his black Strat and a stoner friend of there's played drums.

Dreams of success penetrated every AC DC and Scorpion song they played!

HAAAA!!!

Headed to San Diego, California dreaming of the star making power of Los Angeles, a Rock and Roll cover band soon formed. Then soon ended. A Heavy Metal original band formed thereafter with this young 20-something hopeful writing the lyrics, and wearing leather, chains and big hair.

But the Blues finally began to call and the heavy metal faded off into the distant horizon when this natural born blues singer formed Stone Blue doing mostly original blues tunes. But after a year or so, Stone Blue ended abruptly in the struggling blues scene of Southern California.

After endless songwriting sessions, demo making, more talent showcases in LA, all kinds of music business and musician crap, over 100,000 miles on her car going back and forth to LA to record, and thousands of dollars later, late 1999 saw the release of "Spiritually Wet," Christina's hard earned independent Funk/Pop release. Awards, reviews, interviews, accolades, indie radio play, Mp3 charting on the R&B charts right under TLC for weeks... on and on it all went. But no cigar from the big boys in Hollywood. And no band to back this project.

Christina worked and worked and worked searching for musicians for this stellar project for a year. But no cigars were to be had either from the ace players in Southern California who were busy making big bucks on Hotel and Casino Cover gigs. Who cared about some little white girl wantin' to do a live funk showcase? Nobody.

=2001 brought Stevie Ray Vaughan whispering from the heavens in this aching and tired woman's ears... "Go back to your roots Girl!" "You was born for the blues..." "Go back to your roots."

And so out of the ashes of Christina the funkywhitegirl, was born Cee Cee James. Cee Cee James and The Midnight Riders had their first gig at the Triple Crown in San Diego where they got a months run of Fridays. After 5 months and issues within the band, The Midnight Riders disbanded.

Cee Cee bought the new Carvin PA system from the bass player and continued onward forming a new lineup which she kept gigging until she moved back to the Northwest in late 2004.

Working the gig scene hard in San Diego, Cee Cee managed to get the band booked at some of the more coveted venues such as Patricks II, The Waterfront, The Hideout Saloon, and in San Juan Capistrano at The Swallows.

Also in the summer 2003, The famous San Diego Adams Avenue Street Fest booked Cee Cee.

Then her 2nd partner finally surrendered to Cancers grip in early 2004. Cee Cee continued on with her day job and her gigs, but her heart has broken.

She wondered what she was doing there. She felt like there was nothing left to hold her there and the memories were every where she turned breaking her heart again and again. She had to leave.

Three large extensive changes in her life between 2001 and 2004 - the ending of a 21 year marriage, the loss of her 2nd partner to cancer, and then moving lock, stock, and barrel on her own after being in San Diego 20 years, has caused great confusion and deep loneliness in this woman's soul.

However, its also done something else.

On the Blues Scrolls of paying the Blues Dues... Cee Cee's name is now deeply engraved. There is no doubt left about this woman's abilities to bring her gift of a seasoned, honed, humbled, real-deal blues voice and performance to the world.

"No time left for games. No time left for bullsh.... There's only time to do what I do with a smile of compassion, humbleness, gratitude and no shame."

Cee Cee James

Can we forecast the future? No. Can we keep a loosely written plan of action and take the steps toward that dream? Yes.

Taking a walk in the dark, one realizes that you can only see so far ahead.
But with each step, the next place to step is revealed.

Trust.

And that is what Cee Cee works very hard to do these days - trust... as she continues on singing and writing music with joy, compassion, humbleness, graditude, and no shame.