CeCe Rogers

Last updated
CeCe Rogers
CeCeRogers a Manchester.jpg
CeCe Rogers in Manchester, United Kingdom
Background information
Birth nameKenneth Jesse Rogers III
Born (1962-04-30) April 30, 1962 (age 61)
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active
  • 1987–1999
  • 2008–present
Labels
Website cecerogers.com

CeCe Rogers (born Kenneth Jesse Rogers III, April 30, 1962), [1] is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Cleveland, Ohio. [2]

Contents

He was given the nickname CeCe by James Brown, who watched him performing at 11 years of age, imitating Chubby Checker. [2] [3] He is considered one of the most popular male vocalists in house music. In 1987, he recorded the track "Someday" in collaboration with Marshall Jefferson, an anthem of house music, having been rated number 3 in Mixmag's 100 Greatest Singles of All Time.

His track "All Join Hands" became popular in 1991, after Laurent Garnier began to mix it with Pulsation's "Transpulsation".[ citation needed ]

Early life

Rogers attended Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio and Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts. He began studying piano at the age of five. His mother, a music teacher, introduced him to gospel, the genre that forms his musical foundation. [4] He was considered a child prodigy and at the age of nine, he was a featured musician on the weekly television program, The Gene Carroll Show.

Moving to the New York area in 1984, he taught voice and piano, as well as doing session work with such artists as Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson, and Curtis Hairston. He also formed his own group, CeCe & Company, whose repertoire included jazz and R&B tunes. [4] Some of the group's vocalist at the time were Sybil Lynch, [4] Adeva, and Kenny Bobien.

Recording career

In 1987, Rogers recorded the track "Someday" with its songwriter, Marshall Jefferson, and was then signed to Atlantic Records, [2] making "Someday" the first house-music song released by a major label. [4]

Not realizing the massive appeal house music was having in Europe, Rogers moved away from the house scene and released his debut album, CeCe Rogers, in 1989. [4] The album was a mix of contemporary R&B and house tracks that received rave reviews but poor sales. His second album, Never Give Up (1991), also failed to chart selling only 300,000 units. He was dropped from Atlantic and went back to doing session work singing backgrounds for TV commercials. In 1993, David Morales recruited Rogers to work on his debut album, Games. He worked on many of Morales's remix projects including "The Best Things In Life Are Free" by Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross, and the soundtrack of Sister Act . Rogers has written and produced many songs with his friend and business partner, Marshall Jefferson.

In 1989, Rogers wrote the UK hit single, "Got to Get You Back" for Kym Mazelle. [5]

The house scene grew quickly, starting out in Chicago and establishing roots in New Jersey. Soulful house became popular in Europe when Rogers toured with Jefferson.

In 1994, Rogers recorded a string of hits with the Italian band Jestofunk. This would lead to three world tours. After five years with Jestofunk, Rogers decided to stop touring and give teaching a try. Seeing the need for more African American male teachers in the urban community, Rogers taught music production for eight years at the Essex County Vocational School in New Jersey. He became a supervisor for the district and formed a gospel choir that won many competitions, including the McDonald's Gospelfest and Cherry Blossom music festival.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Albums

Singles

List of singles, with selected peak chart positions
YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
US Dance
[8]
UK
[9]
1987"Someday" (US only)CeCe Rogers
1989"Forever"100
"Lonely Girl" (US promo only)
"Forever / Someday"
1990"All Join Hands"34Non-album single
1991"Never Give Up" (US only)Never Give Up
"Thick Girlz" (US only)
1992"Brothers & Sisters" (US only)Non-album singles
"All Join Hands / Brothers & Sisters"
1993"Its Gonna Be Alright" (with The Unity Crew)(US only)
1994"No Love Lost"15
1995"Come Together"77
1996"In the Morning" (US only)
2002"Come On and Dance" (UK only)
2005"It's Alright" (UK only)
2020"I'll Be Your Friend" [10] (with Benny Benassi)
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
List of singles as featured artist
YearSingleArtistAlbum
1994"Say It Again" Jestofunk Love in a Black Dimension
"Can We Live"
1996"Symphonic Tonic"Street Corner SymphonySingle only
"Hollar (Throw Up Your Hands)"Morel Inc.N.Y.C. Jam Session
1997"My Sweet Lord"Papasun StyleThe Positive Life
"Superstar"Project MSCSingles only
"Take Me Higher"Inner Spirit
1998"Movin' On"Moodlife
1999"Gimme Your Love"Starphunk
"Happy" Jestofunk Universal Mother
2014"I Want You"Bob SinclarSingle only
2016"Come with Me"David MoralesSingle only

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References

  1. "Ce Ce Rogers". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ce Ce Rogers | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  3. "CeCe Rogers, MP3 Music Download at eMusic". 16 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 289/290. ISBN   0-7535-0252-6.
  5. "Kym Mazelle - Got To Get You Back (Radio Mix)". 45cat.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Ce Ce Rogers | Album Discography". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  7. "Key of Ce by CeCe Rogers". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  8. "CeCe Rogers - US Dance Club Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 25 January 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. "CeCe Rogers albums and songs | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company . Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  10. Fabrick, Mark (16 July 2020). "Benny Benassi teams up with house legend CeCe Rogers for uplifting new single 'I'll Be Your Friend'". Your EDM. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.