Singer, composer, musician and producer. J. Lett has been singing and performing since the age of five. His stage appearances have included regular performances at Dallas Playboy Club, Posicle Toes, Up Your Alley, and Dallas' exclusive, Village Country Club to name a few. His performances have taken him to such states as Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana to include many Texas cities. Since moving back to Kansas, he and his new partner Jeff (GVG) Gladney (Topeka native) have become a popular act in the Capitol City. Their new CD, self-produced and self-funded, 'I'M STRESS'N' have gained them many new fans spanning, gender, age and race, in the places it is being played. Currently working on expanding their performances (and their fan base) with the emphasis on, hotels, casinos, concerts, and television. He has become a regular at the RED CARPET INN in Topeka performing both at the REX STOUTS MYSTERY LOUNGE and to packed events at the hotel.
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J. Lett - I'm The Real O.G. has really been meeting more than my expectations. I'm doing a lot of performing now and I'm getting a lot of request to do a lot more shows. I'm still trippin over this cause they calling my music THE NEW OLD SKOOL. Next month it will be mastered and soon after that. It will be hitting the stores and the radio on the Independent Records Inc. label. I'm very PROUD of that cause at MY age you got to take what you can get.
BIO
Born in KANSAS CITY, KANSAS his family relocated to PARSONS when he was a toddler. Born to poverty, Jimmy grew up with not much interest in anything but music. His father dying at age six, his mother couldn’t afford music lessons, what he learned, he learned from the old musicians he loved to hang around. Trying to find his ‘niche’, he attempted to self-learn, harmonica, sax, bass & guitar. Never feeling at home with these instruments, he lost interest in playing and concentrated on his singing. As a young child he led the school choir.
It wasn’t until he joined the Army (GERMANY) that he would once again become interested in learning to play an instrument. He became friends with a fellow soldier named LLOYD DOGGETT. Turned out that Lloyd was the nephew of blues legend, BILL DOGGETT. Like Bill, Lloyd was an accomplished musician on any instrument he picked up. He encouraged Jimmy to try the piano. He quickly felt at home on it saying the chords were easier to master for him. A fast learner, Lloyd became his teacher during the time he was stationed in Germany and soon after, Jimmy was sitting in with him and other musicians during their weekly jam sessions.
Completing his tour in VIETNAM Jimmy returned home to Kansas and continued to improve himself on the keyboards. He started a group, gospel, and began to compose as well as play. It wasn’t long before Churches were requesting performances from them. Graduating from PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY, he took a job with TEXAS INSTRUMENTS and relocated to DALLAS, TX. He said that’s when his ‘creativity’ suddenly rocketed. It seems everyone he met was musicians. He easily became a fast friend. Soon after moving to Dallas Jim, along with new friend and drummer DAN HEATH, were performing around the Metroplex area. A duo ‘RAP’ act calling themselves, G.C.P. (GROOVE CITY PRODUCTIONS), some of their performances included the DALLAS PLAYBOY CLUB doing an opening act for the OAK RIDGE BOYS and more. They became regular performers at THE VILLAGE COUNTRY CLUB and popular Dallas nightclubs, UP YOUR ALLEY and POPCICLE TOES, where Jim occasionally sang duets with DALLAS COWBOY, ED (TOO TALL) JONES backed by Dallas' own, 'PHYRWORKS', featuring JERALD (BLOODSTONES) LAMAR on bass.
Jim’s reputation for being witty with words and lyrics led to an offer for him to host a new CABLE TELEVISION dance show that was being created out of GARLAND. He accepted and was soon involved in every aspect of its production. He even designed the show’s logo. After a few weeks he was promoted to ASSISTANT PRODUCER.
FOOTLOOSE became very popular and he hosted it for 6 ½ years until it’s end in 1986. Growing tired of always promoting other people, he decided to concentrate on his career in music and went in the studio to work on an album of his own creation. Television had gained him celebrity status in Dallas and some celebrity friends. He and Dan intended to cash in on it. With the promise of a major record company signing them to a producer contract, they practically took up residence in a local Dallas studio.
Completing five of the thirteen songs they had written for the album, Jim shelved the project after Dan suddenly and mysteriously was found dead at his home in RICHARDSON. The demise of his friend hit Jim so hard, he gave up music and walked away from the album. He even quit playing keyboards. Paranoid, thinking they had made some enemies, fearing for his own life, he went into isolation. The offer was finally dropped after he failed to come up with the finished product. He never went back for the master tape. After a lengthy hospital (P.T.S.D.) stay, he said he is finally “dealing with my demons”; he has returned to the keyboards and studio. Welcome back J.
‘I’M STRESS’N’ is a compilation of a few songs that he say’s has been “tormenting” him to record.
‘FATHER HELP YOUR CHILDREN’ is a ‘SPIRITUAL’ account of his 3 ½ years of being broke and homeless.