CeCe Rogers

Born in Cleveland, the vocalist initially performed under his given name of Kenny before wisely adopting Ce Ce Rogers to sidestep mix-ups with the country and pop star. As a teenager, James Brown bestowed the nickname Ce Ce after catching the youngster mimicking Chubby Checker onstage. Rogers pursued formal music studies in Boston alongside classmate Wynton Marsalis, who encouraged him to focus exclusively on his singing. Relocating to New Jersey, he assembled the group Ce Ce & Company and collaborated there with vocalist Sybil. Producer Marshall Jefferson attended one of their performances and subsequently enlisted Rogers to deliver the lead vocals on the track “Someday,” which Jefferson had composed. Strong response to the recording secured Rogers his own recording contract. Dance listeners warmly embraced his 1989 album Forever, prompting the 1991 follow-up Never Give Up.