Monday, September 15, 2014

James Kee

Born in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, James Kee grew up in a hot bed of great local musicians. At an early age, James expressed a special interest in music, singing in school and church choirs as well as the Chattanooga Boys Choir. It was here that James had his first experiences on stage.

Inspired to play by his banjo-playing grandfather, he grew to love bluegrass music at a local show called the Mountain Opry on Walden's Ridge near his hometown. Starting with the acoustic guitar and working his way to bass, mandolin and banjo, James became competent on several instruments and by age 13 was playing in local bands and at local events.

After establishing a firm reputation as a solid local musician, James began touring at age 18 and was privileged to make music with some of the best in the business where he has traveled to and performed in almost every state in the US. While with the popular Lexington, KY based group Newtown, James’ feature song, Must Have Been Crazy, from the band’s self-titled debut album went all the way to number 2 on the Bluegrass and XM Radio Charts and gave James his first recognition as a lead vocalist.

Aside from being a bluegrass musician, James graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a BS in Environmental Science, and is an Honorable Kentucky Colonel. He is also a local entrepreneur and serves on the Board of Directors for the Folk School of Chattanooga.