JJ Thames

When the lights dim, and the spotlight shines, this statuesque 5 foot 9 beauty demands the attention of the room with her quiet confidence, unique style, and poise even before she sings a note; with her flawless skin, pouty lips and piercing slanted eyes she can grace the pages of any magazine. The Detroit Free Press said it best, “She’s young and beautiful to look at, she’s a wonderful storyteller and her vocals are consistently breathtaking. Her shows are electrifying, and crowd-pleasing. This doe-eyed Motown (Detroit, Michigan) native has the “it” factor…look out world.”

“Tell You What I Know” is the name of J.J.’s original song and the title of her upcoming debut album for DeChamp Records. It is also the “testimony” of the 30 year old blues singer and songwriter’s hard knock journey to here. Thames is one sexy chanteuse. She has performed all over the world with artists as a backing vocalist, and has even penned songs for some main stream pop, R&B, rock and hip-hop artists, but her path to success was not always glamorous or easy. Raised in a General Motors fueled, blue-collar family, the classically and jazz trained J.J. began performing at the tender age of 9 years old, and became a blues- shouting banshee by the time she was just 18 years old. She cut her teeth after moving down to Jackson, MS. Where she began to perform with the celebrated “Chitlin’ Circuit stars like Marvin Sease. Miss Thames has proven to be a true survivor as she scrambled her way to the top of the roots music heap, creating a soon to be world renowned reputation that is just taking off into the atmosphere.

A colorful mixture of traditional blues and soul, Thames began her career in the late 90’s onstage with musicians and friends, Bobby Blue Bland, Peggy Scott Adams, Willie Clayton and Denise LaSalle to name just a few. She diversified her influence when she began to sing backgrounds for reggae-rock band, Outlaw Nation. JJ began touring with many reggae and rock legends including Fishbone, The (English) Beat, Israel Vibrations, Bad Brains, Slightly Stoopid and 311.

Thames’ live shows honor the bold blues women of the past with both feet firmly planted in the now. With her heart on her sleeve, she belts, growls, shouts, croons and moans from a place deep within her soul that harkens back to the days of Chess, Bluebird and Stax Records. She uses music as therapy and often writes from her own life story, and chooses material with positive affirmations that leave the audience feeling healed and exhilarated.

A show that is part revival meeting and sexual celebration, she’ll deliver a Mississippi juke joint-tongue-in-cheek blues tune or a soul ballad. She’ll slay the crowd with her balls out rendition of Wang Dang Doodle or testify with a sweat drenched passionate rendition of Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball and Chain”, Ray Charles’ “I Believe to My Soul”, or B.B. King’s “I Know You Love Me Baby” like no other. She often says she is a “woman of the 1950′s to 60′s trapped in a young woman’s body” and she dresses the part. Bedecked in dresses, frocks and accessories from that era, Thames’ performance is Mississippi by way of Memphis with a quick stopover in Detroit.