TONI JAMES
Toni James has been singing professionally for seven years and has established a reputation in the North West of Britain. Her vocal treatments of classic songs have made her a popular singer in the highly selective world of lounge bars and corporate entertainment. The revenue from this work has been ploughed back into the original material offered on the newly released self titled album.
Toni James and the seven piece band perform frequently in and around Liverpool and play at venues such as Barfly, Magnet, Tea Factory and The Pan American Club where they recently supported Mica Paris. The band were also invited to perform at music festivals such as ”Into the Cool” and ”Tea Rocks Music Week” in Liverpool.
Much to my amusement, Space Magazine voted Toni one of Liverpool's top 100 coolest people in and around Liverpool (they obviously haven't seen her in her trackies!). Toni has also performed and been interviewed on local BBC radio programmes.
The new album is a collaboration between me and Toni, from a writing and performance perspective. Toni's lyrics combined with my compositions/production and the sweet mixing of John Holmes will hopefully open the door to the commercial market and in the long run help us build a lasting career. We both feel that the album reflects the sound of the band at this time and are proud of what has been achieved with the available resources and finances!
TONI JAMES : Cover Material
The Duo
Toni and myself have worked together for over 3 years appearing regularly in Blundell Street, The London Carriage Works and Simply Heathcoat's, along with a whole host of weddings and corporate events across the North of England. One of our favourites was performing to Richard Branson in 2003 when he launched his new Virgin Train and yes, you guessed it, the train was late!
The Trio
The introduction of Jack Stevens on Bass makes up the trio and adds that little something extra. The trio recently entertained the rich and famous at the launch of the Austin Martin DB-9 held at Sugar Lounge Manchester, when I turned up in my Ford Fiesta!! This has led to a new venue for us all, We will now be performing at the forthcoming Marie Curie Charity Night being held at Harvey Nicholls, Manchester.
The Band
Enter Marcus Bonfanti on Guitars (a superstars name if ever there was one), Mike Smith on Saxophone and Chris Pye on Drums, and the potential addition of backing singers. This lineup can also increase the repertoire to include more Soul and RnB covers from Stevie Wonder through to Erykah Badu. Two of this years most memorable gigs have been LIPA's graduation evening and Liverpool's wedding of the year, held on the main stage of The Liverpool Empire.