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CeCe Rogers | |
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 CeCe Rogers in Manchester, United Kingdom | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Jesse Rogers III |
| Born | (1962-04-30)April 30, 1962 (age 62) Cleveland,Ohio, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Website | cecerogers |
CeCe Rogers (bornKenneth Jesse Rogers III, April 30, 1962),[1] is an American singer, songwriter and record producer fromCleveland,Ohio.[2]
He was given the nickname CeCe byJames Brown, who watched him performing at 11 years of age, imitatingChubby Checker.[2][3] He is considered one of the most popular male vocalists inhouse music. In 1987, he recorded the track "Someday" in collaboration withMarshall Jefferson, an anthem of house music, having been rated number 3 inMixmag's 100 Greatest Singles of All Time.
His track "All Join Hands" became popular in 1991, afterLaurent Garnier began to mix it with Pulsation's "Transpulsation".[citation needed]
Rogers attendedShaw High School inEast Cleveland, Ohio andBerklee College of Music, inBoston,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 asMelba Moore,Freddie Jackson, andCurtis 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 wereSybil Lynch,[4]Adeva, and Kenny Bobien.
In 1987, Rogers recorded the track "Someday" with its songwriter,Marshall Jefferson, and was then signed toAtlantic 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 forTV 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" byJanet Jackson andLuther Vandross, and the soundtrack ofSister 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" forKym 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 bandJestofunk. 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 moreAfrican American male teachers in theurban community, Rogers taught music production for eight years at the Essex County Vocational School inNew Jersey. He became a supervisor for the district and formed a gospel choir that won many competitions, including the McDonald's Gospelfest andCherry Blossom music festival.[citation needed]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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" | 34 | — | Non-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](withBenny Benassi) | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Say It Again" | Jestofunk | Love in a Black Dimension |
| "Can We Live" | |||
| 1996 | "Symphonic Tonic" | Street Corner Symphony | Single only |
| "Hollar (Throw Up Your Hands)" | Morel Inc. | N.Y.C. Jam Session | |
| 1997 | "My Sweet Lord" | Papasun Style | The Positive Life |
| "Superstar" | Project MSC | Singles only | |
| "Take Me Higher" | Inner Spirit | ||
| 1998 | "Movin' On" | Moodlife | |
| 1999 | "Gimme Your Love" | Starphunk | |
| "Happy" | Jestofunk | Universal Mother | |
| 2014 | "I Want You" | Bob Sinclar | Single only |
| 2016 | "Come with Me" | David Morales | Single only |
| 2017 | "Can't Let Go" | Andrea Ferrini | Single only |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
