Album Notes

The Adventures of Mz. Dee Oakland born, Mz Dee has lived all over the East Bay, from the hills of Berkeley to her favorite home, a houseboat floating upon the Oakland/Alameda Riviera. As a youngster, she was extremely shy and withdrawn, yet often dreamed of being on stages around the world, performing her favorite songs. Overcoming her shyness, Little Dee would entertain the neighborhood children in the family garage by putting on a one woman show. From this early beginning, Mz Dee developed a burning desire to pursue her art, and the passion to share her music. Over the past 15 years that Mz. Dee has been blessed with the opportunity to sing with some of the best musicians anywhere, performing in many of the great venues both here in the S. F. Bay Area and internationally, most recently at the Umbria Summer Jazz Festival. Mz Dee shows both her performing and writing skills on her recently released debut CD, Real Woman, Real Soul. a journey through the worlds of Blues, Funk, R&B and Jazz. The songs spring from many diverse origins including everyone from the renowned Etta James, the poignant "If I only had one friend of Ira Walker, to originals from Mz. Dee's own book of poetry. Over the years, Mz. Dee has played with many great musicians. Below is a list of some of the greatest with whom she has played, learned from, and who she wishes to honor. Above all others, Mz. Dee puts her mother, Rochon Hemmans, noted as one of the Bay Area's top church organists and arrangers, as her first influence and greatest inspiration in the music world. She is not only Mz. Dee's first mentor but her greatest fan, yet still a mother first of all. Mz. Dee remembers sitting on her lap while she directed and sang with the church choir, laughing as she recall: "She also threw a pretty good hymn book at us from the throne of the organ pit if we acted up in church.." Also a noted vocalist, Mz Dee relates how her mother's "....voice would, and still can, fill the church with love, and assurance that there is a God. Only God could bless such a voice to put the good news into song." HONOR ROLL MUSICIANS Rochon Brooks Hemmans -MVP Ruth Brown, Vocals Garth Webber - Guitarist Lady Bianca Willie Riser - Bassist Musashi, (Moose) Guitar, Vocals, Bass Harold (Paquettz) Logwood - Drummer Gail Muldrow - Guitarist, Vocals, & more Johnny Otis - Pioneer, Artist, Spiritual Leader Zigaboo Modeliste - Drummer, Pioneer, Multi Ron-E-Beck - Drummer, Vocalist Daniel Castro - Guitarist, Vocalist Michael Griggs - Guitarist, Vocalist, Multi Geno Blacknell - Bass, Keys, Drums, Arranger Myron Williams - Bass, Vocalist Chris Cain - Guitarist, Vocalist Linda Wiggins - Keyboard, Vocalist Michael Peliquin - Harmonica, Saxophone Michael Rinta - Trombone Dave Bell-Guitar- Vocalist, Multi Anthony Paule -Guitarist, Vocalist Patrick Ford - Drummer Mark Ford - Harmonica Robben Ford - Guitarist, Vocalist Myron Dove - Bass, Vocalist Mark Naftalin - Keyboard, Radio Personality Ron Thompson - Guitarist, Vocalist James Cotton - Harmonica Jackie Payne - Vocalist Freddie & Derrick Hughes - Vocalist Rusty Allen - Bassist Kelvin Dixon - Drummer Lorenzo Hawkins - Keyboard Jimmy James Page - Keyboard Jimmy Pugh, Keyboard John Lee Saunders, Keyboard, Horns Chris Sandoval, Keyboard Tommy Castro, Guitar Gary Calvin, Bass, Multi Steve Gannon, Guitar Wilton Rab, Guitar, Multi Big Bone, Harp, Vocals U. C. Buu, Rap Taylor P. Collins, Vocals Paul Dorr, Keyboards Michael O' Neill Tony Macaroni Lufrano, Keyboards James McKInney, Vocals, Keyboards Paul Revelli, Drums, Vocals Tim Wagar, Bass Eric Swinderman, Guitar Bill Norwood, Drums, Vocals Bobby Young, Guitar Billy Johnson, Drums Ruth Davies, Bass Tammy Hall, Keyboard Simon Russell, Keyboard, Vocals Leroy Shyne, Bass, Sound, Recording Rusty Zinn, Guitar Steve Freund, Guitar Johnny Ace, Bass