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CeCe PENISTON
Biography
Mesmerizing, sultry, captivating and soulful.
These are just a few of the words that describe the multi-talented, internationally-known recording artist CeCe Peniston.
Best known for her debut album and single “Finally,” CeCe is one of the most unique and consistent artists in recent years. The talented singer went on to gain fame with singles like “We Got A Love Thang,” “Keep On Walkin, I'm Not Over You” and “Hit By Love,” all which thrust her past the “one-hit wonder mark” and gained her Billboard Top Ten status.
Since she was a young girl, CeCe has entertained those around her with her soulful voice and sweet melodies. Born in Dayton, Ohio the third of four children, CeCe spent her formative years in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a graduate of Trevor G. Browne High School and Phoenix College.
Following her college graduation in 1990, CeCe began her recording career, signing with A&M Records. Her debut album, Finally, sold more than one million copies and achieved U.S. RIAA Gold certification. The title single off the album achieved Billboard No. 1 status and to date, has sold multi-platinum worldwide. Finally also is featured on more than 30 compilation albums.
In 1991, CeCe began traveling the globe promoting her sophomore album Thought YA Knew. Since that time she has performed for sold out audiences in the Philippines, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Korea, Australia, South Africa and Italy. She has performed privately for Aretha Franklin, former President Bill Clinton during both his Presidential Inauguration ceremonies and Pope John Paul II and was the first female entertainer to visit and perform in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid.
To date, CeCe has nine music videos under her belt; contributed her voice to numerous motion picture soundtracks; performed at numerous NBA, WNBA and NFL games; and appeared in thousands of print and online publications. She has appeared on several TV shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Arsenio Hall Show, BET with Donnie Simpson and Showtime at the Apollo. The talented artist also successfully toured with artists like Peabo Bryson and has appeared off-Broadway, fulfilling a personal goal and dream.
CeCe believes she has been blessed with ability to share beautiful music with her audiences. She also believes in giving back to her community and supporting organizations whose focus is on health and humanity.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, Michael Jackson asked her to perform at his concert “United We Stand,” a successful event that benefited the families of victims of the tragedy. In 1997, CeCe founded the CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation, which has helped raise funds for HIV/AIDS organizations, women and children in need and to support the fight against hunger and for equality.
In recent years, CeCe has continued to perform at entertainment venues around the world and is currently working on new music. She also has added “actress” to her bio with appearances in the soon-to-be released motion picture Don’t Touch If You Ain’t Prayed.
Discography
1991 Finally
1994 Thought Ya Knew
1996 Movin On
Awards
Billboard Best New Artist and Best New Song of The Year 1992
ASCAP Song of The Year 1992
ASCAP Most Performed Song of The Year 1992
Annual Winter Music Conference Best New Dance Artist 1991
Annual Winter Music Conference Best Dance Artist Solo 1992
Annual Winter Music Conference Best Dance Record 1991
BMI Urban Award of Achievement 1992
Honors
Governor's Key to the State of Arizona
Phoenix College Hall of Fame
FRENCHIE DAVIS
Some of the songs that “Frenchie” performs on her “Track” show, are songs from “Dance,” “Pop” & “Broadway” like:
“You Are” (her new “Dance” song with famed Producer Tony Moran)
“I Am Changing” (a classic song from “DreamGirls”)
“Natural Women” (an Aretha Franklin classic)
“One Night Only” (a classic song from DreamGirls)
“Walking on Broken Glass” (an Annie Lennox classic song)
“Twisted” (Frenchie’s hot new “Dance” song)
“How Will I Know” ( a Whitney classic song)
“Never Can Say Goodbye” (a Gloria Gaynor classic)
“Proud” (What have you done today) (an anthem song)
Frenchie Davis was born in Los Angeles, Calif. She began as a theatre student at Washington DC’s Howard University. While studying there, she got her first acting/singing job playing one of the street urchins in a production of Little Shop of Horrors with a small theatre company in Germany.
The same German company later rehired her for a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the following year. After her return to the states, she auditioned for American Idol...and was flown to LA, made her mark on the show, and turned out to be a huge favorite with america to win the show.
Frenchie worked in 2003 as a “Grammy” correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and performed the song “And I Am Telling You" on the set of ET for the show
as well.
She was then cast in the Broadway show RENT, from which she took a leave of absence to portray the role of “Effie White” in the West coast tour of the play DreamGirls.
Frenchie also starred as "Betty Currey" in the comedy satire about President Clinton, called "Monica" the musical. This was done for the New York musical theater festival.
Frenchie was originally signed to star in RENT for 6 months but it turned into nearly 4 years. Before she left the show in early April 07, she issued this message to all her fans in the Broadway community.
"After nearly 4 wonderful years, I am sad (and a little happy) to announce that I will be leaving Rent in April...I want to take this chance to say thank you to all of the fans and people that came out to support during my time in the show...I also would like to offer my sincerest thanks to the producers of the show for allowing me the opportunity to contribute to such a wonderful piece of theatre history....
I know that i will look back at these times as some of the best of my life...thank you so much!," she wrote.
Rent, featuring book, music and lyrics by the late Jonathan Larson, has played almost 11 years at the Nederlander Theatre, where it opened on April 29th, 1996. A rock musical adaptation of Puccini's La Boheme, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize Award-winning musical.
In August, Frenchie stepped into the shoes of Jennifer Holliday and starred in a one women stage play (for Hartford, Conn. Stage) based on the legendary gospel great “Mahalia Jackson” This production was called “Sing, Mahalia, Sing’.
In the coming months of 2008 famed DJ/Remixer
Tony Moran will be releasing Frenchie’s new dance single called “You Are” on his CD and as a Cd single. The word is that this song is a sho in to be a #1 song on the charts.
In November of 2008 Frenchie will be starring in (with her American Idol friend Ruben Studdard) the 30th Ann. touring road show of the hit broadway play “Ain’t Misbehavin.” Naturally she will be playing the part
that won Nell Carter a Tony Award….
Frenchie is also in the process of starting to record her “debut” Cd, which will be a combination of the “classics,” “broadway” and a few new “original” songs.
Needless to say the sky is the limit for this amazingly talented lady with a “god given” voice from above…..
For more information on “Booking” this
American Idol DIVA, please contact her agent
Stephen Ford of Diva Central, Inc.
at 323-851-2098,
thru E-mail at DivasAndDjs@aol.com
Frenchie’s “Official” website is:
www.FrenchieDavis.org
Other Performers include:
Mamma
Chris Pureka
"A New England folkie with a parched, wounded voice and a mean way with an acoustic guitar, Pureka makes romantic depression seem, somehow, invigorating."-LA Daily News
Chris Pureka's sophomore release, Dryland plays like the way she enters a room: with low, deliberate airs, quietly demanding respect. One stark, solo acoustic guitar builds into layered swan songs and raspy serenades that resonate with unassuming depth and candor.
Dryland is the highly-anticipated follow-up to Pureka's 2004 debut, Driving North, for which the rising newcomer has landed praise from publications like Performing Songwriter, Time Out New York, Nashville City Paper and many others. Comparisons flow easily: some recognize the poetry and grit of a young Bruce Springsteen or a troubled Ryan Adams. Others see Nashville shining on the horizon for this indie-acoustic songstress whose simple, yet heartfelt and vulnerable delivery often resembles shades of female greats like Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch or Mary Gauthier. Whatever the reference point, one thing remains certain: on her newest release, Chris Pureka has taken the unfettered, heart-on-your-sleeve approach she is known for and has delved even deeper into her calling to deliver a newly promising and original collection of songs. The progression is natural, if not subtle; and the results are impressive.
Pureka proudly considers Dryland an older, wiser successor to her earlier recordings. She writes, "There are many songs on the record that follow up with the themes of love and relationships that were predominant on Driving North. For instance the song, Come Back Home is about a long distance relationship and the issues of trust and fidelity that come with that and relationships in general. However, Dryland, while continuing on with these themes also branches out topically and I think has more perspective." Sentiments of growth and change are conveyed in the title and thematically throughout Dryland. As one line from the title track reveals: I'm holding myself, waiting and waiting, in the belly of the boat, praying for dryland. In Purekas words, "One of the big themes is this idea of moving through something difficult to get to something better--putting things to rest and moving on trying to make the most of things and trying to be patient or at least recognizing that virtue." Taking her own advice to heart, Pureka creates the personal challenge of penning a narrative from the perspective of her grandmother (Swann Song) and pulls it off with Patty Griffin-esque mastery. Its something of a departure for Pureka, who admittedly writes from her own experiences most of the time. Another first is her decision to include a cover song on the album, Gillian Welchs world-weary Everything is Free. The rendition starts off as a timid, after-the-storm follow-up to the preceding track, but quickly blossoms into a spirited personal anthem with added meaning infused by Purekas convincing vocals.
Dryland was produced by Pureka and recorded at Slaughterhouse Recording Studio in Westhampton, MA. Featured on the record are jazz/pop drummer Allison Miller, best known for her work with Natalie Merchant, who adds her unmistakable touch to Momentary Thief and 31 and Falling. Renowned guitarist/producer David Goody Goodrich (Chris Smither, Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault) provides additional layers and ambience on several tracks. Lyndell Montgomery of the Ember Swift Band adds electric bass and fiddle. Additionally, several players from Driving North returned: Sebastian Renfield assists in production and adds banjo and guitar and Merrill Garbus adds harmony vocals and fiddle.
A native New Englander, the 27 year-old Pureka came to music at an early age, writing songs on her parents out of tune piano before the age of eight; but it wasnt until she reached sixteen that she discovered the guitar and began playing in earnest. Following high school, Pureka attended Wesleyan University where she was a student of science and graduated to become an assistant in a biology lab at Smith College. All the while Purekas musical ambitions persevered. In 2001 she released a 7-song, self-titled EP and shortly thereafter landed a three-month national tour with folk poet Alix Olson. With the release of Driving North in 2004, Pureka left science behind and discovered her niche as a touring singer songwriter.
While hardship, longing and loss are all common themes of Purekas life and music, theyre also tempered by messages of hope, strength and perseverance. Following in that spirit, Dryland heralds the return of a smart, evolving artist who has already glimpsed sun through the clouds and knows how to keep moving forward with an eye for even brighter days ahead. If the new album is any indication, brighter days will be here in no time.
Jason & deMarco
With the international release of their latest album, "Till the End of Time", Jason & deMarco became familiar names to music fans around the world. Their first single "Trying to Get to You" climbed the Billboard Charts and their second single, "This is Love" won "Music Video of the Year 2006" on MTV's LOGO. A remix of "This is Love" produced by DJ Scotty K was also added to Abercrombie & Fitch's playlist in April of 2007 and was heard nationally in stores.
Now, in the new documentary-film, "We're All Angels," from director Robert Nunez, fans are invited to take a behind-the-scenes look at the public and private lives of these rising pop stars, who are gay, spiritual, and in love. The film chronicles the lives of the two singers as they perform all over the country in dance clubs, at pride events, and even in churches. The movie takes a look at how their openness about their sexuality often pits them against evangelical Christianity, while their faith at times meets with resistance from the gay community. As Jason & deMarco prepare to release a new album to appeal to a wider audience, "We're All Angels" turns the spotlight on how they integrate their sexuality and spirituality within their relationship and professional careers. Currently, "We're All Angels" is circulating the international independant film circuit where it premiered at NewFest 2007: The 19th Annual New York LGBT Film Festival as well as OUTFEST 2007: The 25th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It is scheduled for release on a major television network Spring 2008.
Jason and deMarco met in 2001 at Vermont Restaurant in Los Feliz Village in Hollywood, CA where deMarco worked as a host. Before launching their duo act, deMarco was performing up and down the west coast in clubs and acting in television commercials, such as Carl's Junior. After a little convincing from Jason, the duo released their first album together, The Spirit of Christmas, in 2002 followed by 2003's Songs for the Spirit. In 2004, Jason and deMarco appeared on the cover of The Advocate magazine with their new album Spirit Pop, a 12-track album of original compositions, combining pop and inspirational genres and yielded both critical and popular acclaim.
"We've had to work at clarifying that although we are both gay and men of faith, our music is not religious, nor is it gay," continues Jason. "Our music has a message, and if I had to call it anything, it would be "uplifting." We want it to speak to everyone, not only people of one particular faith." Jason & deMarco have had the opportunity to perform at numerous high profile GLBT events including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Awards in Los Angeles, the Matthew Shepard Foundation's annual gala in Denver, and the 2006 Human Rights Campaign Gala at the Waldorf Astoria New York." They have also been a part of the Human Rights Campaign star-studded benefit two-pack CD album celebrating marriage equality, "Love Rocks", alongside artists such as Christina Aguilera, Pink, and The Dixie Chicks.
After recording three albums together, Jason and deMarco formed RJN MUSIC into a partnership in Los Angeles. They also launched Letthead Productions, a recording studio and production company based in Houston, TX. In 2006, the duo released their fourth album, "Till the End of Time" produced by Alan Lett, with additional production from Grammy Award winning producer, Joe Hogue (LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Carmen), Rhys Fulber (Sinead O'Connor, Josh Groban, Conjure One), and Eddie X and Luigie Gonzalez (Ricky Martin, Barbara Streisand, etc.). This mainstream pop/rock release offers an edgier sound to fans and takes listeners on a journey through the depths and emotional plateaus of relationships from discovering love, to losing it, then rediscovering it and holding onto it and trusting that it will last the test of time. Seven of the album's twelve songs are written by Jason and deMarco. Additional writing credits on the disc include the two-time Academy Award, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated songwriter, Allan Rich (Whitney Houston, Backstreet Boys, and Patti LaBelle). "It's a powerful and extremely personal album," reflects deMarco. "It is essentially the story of our lives together as we battle what others want us to be, while staying true to our beliefs in who we are. Jason explains, "through our music, we strive to give hope that it is possible to be gay and spiritual and to a have a loving partner with whom to share your life and dreams."
While Jason & deMarco tour internationally in various venues, they also continue sharing their music and message with the community of faith around the world. The duo performs over one hundred concerts per year.
About Jason:
Jason Warner is the oldest son in an entertainment family. He grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland and began singing at an early age, traveling with his mother in music ministry. His grandmother often called him 'lungs' because she could hear him coming down the street as a baby. In 1996, Jason toured with the professional contemporary Christian recording group, Truth, and then in 1997 and 1998, with the group The Sound. On the road and in the studio with these groups, he learned about music management, direction, production and booking. Jason graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN in 1997 with a BA degree in Music and Sociology. The following year, he founded his own independent recording label, RJN MUSIC, originally based in Nashville, TN. Says Jason, "although the foundation of my morals, spirituality, and ideals were a result of my strict Pentecostal upbringing, my spiritual beliefs have broadened along with my musical style. I've always pushed myself to break down barriers and cross boundaries in order to reach people from all walks of life, because I believe that music is the universal language of the soul and has the ability to bring people together."
About deMarco:
deMarco DeCiccio's earliest memories of music take him back to nursery school where he was taught to sing nursery rhymes by Catholic nuns. He later furthered his love for music and theater by studying at the Etobicoke School for the Performing Arts, and in 1999 he graduated with a B.A. degree in Music and Languages from York University in Canada. deMarco's debut album was a series of love songs, sung in Italian, called "Melodie." Since relocating to Los Angeles in 1999, deMarco has performed in a number of theatrical productions, and has appeared in several national commercials.
Jason & deMarco's music is available at major retailers through Centaur Entertainment in collaboration with RJN MUSIC and is available for purchase via www.jasonanddemarco.com as well as digitally throughout Europe in France, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, The United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Australia.
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