Jimmy
James is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and now resides
in New York City, where he performs regularly.
A child of the 70´s, Jimmy
loved to escape into the world of variety television.
Sonny & Cher, Flip Wilson, Carol Burnette and Johnny Carson
were just some of the shows that influenced and inspired
him. Even as a toddler he was always singing, dancing
and dressing up in his mother´s clothes. His remarkable
ability for vocal mimicry became apparent at a young age,
his first imitation was the distinctive voice of Cher,
a longtime idol of Jimmy´s. With dedicated practice on
his own, Jimmy discovered that he could also accurately
imitate the unmistakable voices of Eartha Kitt, Billie
Holiday, Patsy Cline, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Barbra
Streisand and many others. Without knowing it, his career
was in the making.
Throughout
high school, Jimmy studied the dramatic arts where he
developed incredible skills with theatrical makeup. Using
his own face as a canvas, he realized that like his voice
his looks could also be transformed. He began to notice
similarities in his facial structure with that of the
late screen legend Marilyn Monroe. He then set out to
re-create her trademark look and breathy vocal presence.
The results of his efforts were spectacular. The "resurrected"
Marilyn was an instant hit at the drag-shows and dance
clubs where he performed.
It wasn´t long before television
talk show producers began to notice his talents. Through
a steady stream of appearances on shows such as Donahue,
Sally, Geraldo, Joan Rivers, Entertainment Tonight, CNN,
Showtime and others, he gained incredible national and
international exposure. Suddenly Jimmy´s one-man show-
"Marilyn and Voices" -which he wrote and produced- was
in high-demand worldwide. From New York to L.A., Provincetown
to Atlantic CityÑ even as far as Europe, Asia and Australia
Jimmy had a sellout smash which toured for several years.
In
addition to the touring, Jimmy was hired for a number
of high-profile commercial ad campaigns. Eyewear manufacturer
L.A. Eyeworks used a stunning image of Jimmys´ Marilyn
in full-page ads that ran worldwide. The campaign was
featured in the 20-year anniversary issue of Interview
Magazine- a tribute to Andy Warhol. Another highly successful
campaign was shot for Kenar, a women´s clothing manufacturer.
The ad featured Jimmy as three of his divas: Marilyn,
Bette Davis and Judy Garland posing with supermodel Linda
Evangelista. The highlight of the campaign came when the
ad electrified a giant billboard in the center of Times
Square, New York City.
Throughout his career
Jimmy James has constantly evolved as an entertainer.
By the mid-1990´s he began to pursue a career as a recording
artist in New York City by using his own soulful voice.
A talented singer and songwriter, Jimmy has recently been
signed to several dance record labels- domestically with
Interhit Records/US, and internationally with Devox Records/Toshiba-EMI/Asia,
Mushroom Records/Australia and Hi-Bias/Canada. His first
single "Who Wants To Be Your Lover", -produced by the
Berman Brothers with remixes by Eric Kupper, Chris Cox
and DJ´s Rule- will be released worldwide in early 1998.
The single will be highlighted by an extraordinary video
which will showcase Jimmy´s many visual transformations.
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