Album Notes

CERTIFIED is the first album by Fish Heads & Rice. The band went on to record two more CDs for Milan’s Appaloosa Records, 4HEADS and SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY (also available at CDBaby) and tour extensively in Europe and America throughout the 1990s, gaining a kind of underground cult following as one of the most authentic Memphis R&B groups since the 60s. Featuring Gary Talley, the original guitar player for the Box Tops and Walter Ferguson, from John Fred’s Playboy Band, their pedegree was certainly legitimate. Lead singer David James was soon dubbed “One of the greatest vocalists of the 90s” by Italy’s Buscadero magazine.
The group immediately established themselves as top notch R&B songwriters as well, with James Cotton covering the title cut “Certified” on his Grammy nominated “Living The Blues” CD for Verve Records and Kenny Neil recording “Put You Out of My Misery” on the “Bayou Blood” record for Allligator Records. Ten of the twelve tracks came from within the band but CERTIFIED also includes a stunning remake of O.V. Wright's "You Gonna Make Me Cry" and a return to David's early roots with Finnigan & Wood's "The Highway".
More from David James can be heard on his solo CDs, “Eisenhower High” and “Clean Getaway” (also available on CDBaby).