Jimmy James

Last night I went to see the uber-talented vocal impressionist Jimmy James at the Blue Moon.  I saw his show there 3 years ago too, which was fabulous.  But this was a new show.

If you're not familiar with Jimmy, do a YouTube search.  Seriously, he's been around for 30 years, first gaining popularity from his expert Marilyn Monroe impersonations.  Since then he's expanded his vocal impersonations to include all the stars and divas:  Cher, Eartha Kitt, Mae West, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, Adele, Patsy Cline, Judy Garland, Tina Turner, Billie Holliday, and more.

Of course there's no shortage of celebrity impersonators in our (GLBT) community.  There are Cher impersonators, Brittney impersonators, Barbra impersonators, and so on.  But what's so amazing to me about Jimmy James is that he is able to seamlessly transition from 1 celebrity to another in seconds!  My favorite part of his shows is Jimmy's "8 Divas", where he sings "I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" as 8 different people.  Check it out:

Extrordinary!!!

Another part of his show this time included a bit where he proudly displays Bette Davis' album (yes, she produced an album!) and sings a song as Bette Davis.

Hilarious!!!

He also told a funny story about seeing Culture Club in concert recently, and hanging with Boy George.  And he did a duet with Elvis and Barbra Streisand!

As usual, Jimmy James was absolutely fantastic and I would encourage everyone to go see him whenever possible.  He'll be in NYC Aug 21 in Lady Bunny's Wigstock, and Aug 22 at the historic Stonewall Inn.  You can follow him on Facebook for other upcoming tour dates.

Jimmy James

Last night Joe P & I went to see a very talented voice impressionist, Jimmy James, at the Blue Moon.

The only other time I saw Jimmy James was in 2001 or 2002 when he provided entertainment at a PFLAG benefit dinner.  I thought he was hilarious and very talented, so when I saw that he would be doing a show at the Blue Moon, I was excited to be there.

Jimmy started his career by being one of the most famous and believable Marilyn Monroe impersonators.  He was on nearly every daytime talk show on TV in the 80s.  Later he began expanding into voice impersonation and able to do a wide range of amazing voice impressions.  Close your eyes and you'll think you're listening to the actual celebrities themselves!  And I'm amazed at how quickly he switches from diva's voice to the next.  Check this out!

Jimmy told an interesting story about some of the voice work he's done in the past.  He received a request from a gym/fitness club that caters to women, wanting him to record disco versions of all of Cher's songs to be used in their cardio room.  They thought he sounded that much like Cher, and I can understand why.

Me & Jimmy James

If you get a chance, go see Jimmy James!!