DEE D. & THE JAMES GANG
‘Dee D. & The James Gang’ were formed in late 2009 by vocalist/acoustic guitarist Dee D. James and her bass playing husband Keith. After several line-up changes they started to pick up work at holiday camps, clubs and festivals around the UK.
Featuring four lead vocalists, allowing maximum variation of sound, they also combine to give great harmonies.
The band is totally live and play all kinds of country music which makes them suitable for any venue.
This is a professional outfit with a professional attitude.
DEE D. JAMES
Dee was born and raised in ‘The Black Country’, West Midlands. As soon as she could walk she was enrolled into the local dance school, and did many performances with them until she was 19. The transition to vocalist came in 1996 when she began to sing on the cabaret circuit all over the country. When Dee met and married her husband, Keith, they formed a Shania Twain tribute band called ‘Rock This Country! The Shania Twain Show’ and a 70’s disco band – ‘Lee James & Legacy’. Moving to country music in 2006 - this was when she started to learn to play the acoustic guitar & mandolin. As well as the band and her solo work, Dee is also available as a duo/trio. Dee has recently added line dance instruction to her skills – passing her final ‘Best Western Dance Academy’ exam with ‘distinction’.
STUART DEMPSEY-ROBBINS
Stuart’s performing career started at the age of 17. He played the local social club and country music scene with ‘Santee-Fe’ and ‘Touch of Country’ before turning professional when he was 21. With ‘The Bob McKinlay Band’ he toured extensively throughout the UK & Europe, backing international artists. At this time he was nominated for ‘North Country Music – Guitarist of the Year’. Stuart has been heavily influenced by a wide variety of guitarists with different styles and this is portrayed in his playing. He uses a guitar synthesiser to add piano/organ/violins etc. to augment the sound of the band, as well as playing lead/rhythm guitar and singing lead/harmony vocals. Stuart can also play drums, and he and Pat swap instruments during the performance.
GEOFF BATE
Geoff has been a guitarist and vocalist in bands since the age of 14. His first band was ‘The Young Ones’, playing the hits of the day around the local clubs. They eventually changed direction, becoming a blues band. In the 70’s he was involved in a 3-piece rock band called ‘Eazy’ who were signed to Graduate records. This band evolved into ‘Easy Ryder’ and toured as support for Slade in 1978-79. Geoff turned professional in 1998 with a tribute to The Everly Brothers – ‘The Everlys Experience’ – playing the part of Phil Everly. He sings lead/harmony with ‘Dee D. & The James Gang’, and plays lead/rhythm/slide guitar.
KEITH BIGGS
Keith started to play the guitar aged 12, learning ‘Shadows’ & ‘Beatles’ songs of the day. He switched to the bass when he was 16, joining a local function band. During the 70’s he toured extensively with a cabaret band, and in the 80’s changed direction to the blues. The 90’s saw him all but hang up his bass to become a sound engineer. This enabled him to travel and work with many ‘big’ names – ‘Elvis Presley’s TCB Band’ & ‘Robert Plant’ among them. In 2002 he met Dee and they married a year later. He has played bass in their various projects, ‘Rock This Country! The Shania Twain Show’, ‘Lee James & Legacy’, and now – ‘Dee D. & The James Gang’