CeCe Rogers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids CeCe Rogers
CeCe Rogers in Manchester, United Kingdom
Background information
Birth name	Kenneth Jesse Rogers III
Born	(1962-04-30) April 30, 1962 (age 63) Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Genres	House gospel R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Years active	1987–1999 2008–present
Labels	Atlantic Sony USB

CeCe Rogers (born Kenneth Jesse Rogers III on April 30, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is from Cleveland, Ohio.

When he was just 11 years old, the famous singer James Brown gave him the nickname CeCe. This happened after James Brown saw him perform, copying Chubby Checker's moves. CeCe Rogers is known as one of the most popular male singers in house music.

In 1987, he created the song "Someday" with Marshall Jefferson. This song became a huge hit and is considered a classic in house music. Mixmag magazine even ranked it as the 3rd greatest single of all time! Another one of his popular songs, "All Join Hands," became famous in 1991.

CeCe Rogers' Early Life

CeCe Rogers went to Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio. He also studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He started learning to play the piano when he was only five years old. His mother, who was a music teacher, introduced him to gospel music. This type of music became the foundation for his own musical style.

People thought he was a child prodigy because of his amazing talent. By the age of nine, he was already a featured musician on a weekly TV show called The Gene Carroll Show. In 1984, he moved to the New York area. There, he taught singing and piano. He also worked with famous artists like Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson, and Curtis Hairston. He even started his own music group called CeCe & Company. They played jazz and R&B songs. Some of the singers in his group included Sybil Lynch, Adeva, and Kenny Bobien.

His Music Career

In 1987, CeCe Rogers recorded "Someday" with its writer, Marshall Jefferson. After this, he signed with Atlantic Records. This made "Someday" the first house music song ever released by a major record label!

At first, CeCe Rogers didn't realize how popular house music was becoming in Europe. So, he decided to try a different style. In 1989, he released his first album, CeCe Rogers. This album mixed contemporary R&B with house music. Critics loved it, but it didn't sell many copies. His second album, Never Give Up (1991), also didn't become a big hit. After this, he left Atlantic Records and went back to singing background vocals for TV commercials.

In 1993, David Morales asked CeCe Rogers to work on his first album, Games. CeCe also helped with many of David Morales's remix projects. These included songs for Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross, and music for the movie Sister Act. CeCe Rogers has written and produced many songs with his good friend and business partner, Marshall Jefferson.

In 1989, CeCe Rogers wrote the song "Got to Get You Back" which became a hit in the UK for Kym Mazelle. House music quickly grew in popularity, starting in Chicago and spreading to New Jersey. Soulful house music became very popular in Europe when CeCe Rogers toured there with Marshall Jefferson.

In 1994, CeCe Rogers recorded several hit songs with an Italian band called Jestofunk. This led to three world tours! After five years with Jestofunk, CeCe decided to stop touring. He wanted to try teaching instead. He saw a need for more African American male teachers in city schools. So, he taught music production for eight years at the Essex County Vocational School in New Jersey. He later became a supervisor for the school district. He also formed a gospel choir that won many competitions, including the McDonald's Gospelfest and the Cherry Blossom music festival.

Discography

Albums

• CeCe Rogers (Atlantic, 1989)
• Never Give Up (Atlantic, 1991)
• Key of Ce (USB Records, 2017)

Singles

As featured artist