Jennifer B & the Groove Does Janis
Austin, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | INDIE
Music
Press
Jennifer B & the groove are a bona fide Texas Powerhouse, feel good, forget your worries and go crazy on the dance floor kind of band , and they do it better than anybody around. And that says a lot coming from Austin! I’ve seen them take command of the audience and not let go . I’m lucky to have taken the stage and studio with them and looking forward to tearing it up with them again......and again!
Van Wilks -
While Janis Joplin obviously remains a favorite among Texans and Jennifer B masterfully recreates those songs for her many fans, she deserves acclaim as a great singer in her own right.
Texas is full of barroom singers, it could have been another night of few expectations when we saw her, instead we were treated to the superb vocal sounds of Jennifer B.
Gifted and perhaps more sophisticated than shes given credit, Jennifer B as Bobby (Whitlock) says "is in a league all her own".
She is right up there with the greats Etta James and Dorothy Moore with that gorgeous lower range to boot.
Jennifer is not only a great singer she is an accomplished musician and songwriter, a triple threat if you will. She deserves to go all the way to the top.
CoCo Whitlock -
This link is of Rockstar Magazine ATX SXSW 2017, Cover and featured story of Jennifer B & the Groove, March 2017 - Rockstar Magazine
“When MC5 tribute Call Me Animal needed some Detroit-style backing vocals on their demo, Jennifer B. was our first call. She is as skilled and professional as anyone I've worked with and nailed her parts with precision and soul. We asked her to stack some harmonies and create a Motown-style girl-group sound. No problem. Jennifer recorded all the parts in record time and I'll be damned -- even the vibrato synched up on each part. This lady is a pro. She can do Sweet, she can do Soulful, and she can WAIL, Gimme Shelter style. Oh yeah, she has great pitch too, and no ego issues. Hire her.”
- - Josh Ribakove, Call Me Animal / Clyde / Josh Tiemann Band / Zack Zerkle Band, Musician - Josh Ribakove, Call Me Animal / Clyde / Josh Tiemann Band / Zack Zerkle Band, Musician
“I recently had the privilege of being a judge at the 2014 IBC's in Memphis. One of the bands I got to see and hear was Jennifer B. and the Groove. What a delightful surprise.... From the first note I knew I was in for a good set of music. Being a guitar builder, the first thing I noticed was Dave Scher. This dude was smooth. His playing came in like a cool breeze. A guitarists guitarist to say the least. His piano playing wasn’t bad either! The rhythm section of Dr. D and Doug Mortenson laid the groove down and never let it waiver. Then there was Jennifer.... Her first notes weren't even on mic. They came from her soul and filtered throughout the room as she took control of the stage and proceeded to tell a story with her voice. It was a good story. Her confidence and soulfulness made me smile. I highly recommend seeing this band. They will give you you’re money’s worth…. and then some.”
- MIKE DELANEY, Delaney Guitars - Mike Delaney of Delaney Guitars
“At I.B.C. the acts have worked hard to get there and it shows. They've won their local blues society competition and now they're on Beale Street, Memphis. Man, the sweat, joy are palpable! And we judges take the matter seriously. There's a formula - though subjective - involving scores, estimates, comparisons, categories like originality, stage presence, musicianship, etc... Often my score card is littered with scratch outs, rewrites, notes, "great job (which sometimes means, keep at it, better luck next time, etc…)". But then there's the band that makes me forget there's a score card because I don't want to break my gaze or ruin what I'm feeling. That was Jennifer B. and the Groove for me this year. Their musicianship was stellar - Jennifer's vocals seem to come from an endless, deep well. It's not easy to write about the place music can take you, especially when an artist moves you to tears, it's religion sometimes and Jennifer was my experience.”
- KIM BLEDSOE LLOYD, Judge at 2014 IBC,www.blackmuddyriverproductions.com - - KIM BLEDSOE LLOYD, Judge at 2014 IBC (Memphis, TN)
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Jennifer B & the Groove Does Janis
So how did the idea come about for a Janis Joplin tribute show? After playing about 125 shows per year for the last ten years as the band Jennifer B & the Groove, singing cover tunes and originals, self-written Blues and Americana songs, Jennifer woke up one morning with a career-changing thought. In every single show of over a thousand performances per year, somebody from the audience has requested Jennifer to sing a Janis Joplin song. These shows include large festivals across the United States to bars, large clubs and house concerts. Surprising is the age of the requester, anywhere from 70 years to the youngest of 8 years. Jennifer has always loved and admired Janis Joplin greatly, but also wanted to showcase her own talents and songwriting abilities without becoming another Janis wannabe. But, after much thought, she realized that she should give the people what they continually want and always request and therefore use her God-given talents to present Miss Janis Joplin in a unique and passionate way. Thus, the birth of Jennifer B & the Groove Does Janis tribute band!
It wasn’t a quick decision to start a tribute band, this idea was entertained for two years before it really sank in. Jennifer was concerned that she would lose herself, her identity and her gifts of writing original songs and performing in her own unique way. Jennifer finally processed that she would be gaining new friends and audiences who, after hearing her Janis tribute band, would love to know more about Jennifer B & the Groove.
Jennifer writes original music and in November 2018, the band released their third disc, an All-Original CD called Downtown. The songs are rich with flavor and feature a true, Americana sound that reaches back to the depth of her diverse influences. Country to current pop, some with a blues flavor, these songs are featured on the disc and showcase Texas greats such as Van Wilks, Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson) and Jackie Venson, some of Austin, TX Finest musicians.
Over the years, Jennifer B has performed with her smoking hot band at large festival stages, large ballrooms, all size bars and she has also performed as a solo artist at small coffee bars. She has played in almost every state in the United States, including Dallas Deep Ellum district, Memphis Beale Street and grinding out many shows on Austin’s famous Sixth Street (“Dirty Sixth” as it is known).
Some Festivals include Merlefest, Springing the Blues, Eureka Springs, Tall City Blues, King Biscuit Blues, Simply Texas Blues, Memphis International Blues Challenge (Semi-finalist 2015 and 2016), and many others.
Throughout the years, Jennifer sang as part of a backing vocal group for the late B.B. King at a few festivals. She has also either performed with or shared the stage with many fine artists including Buddy Guy, Van Wilks, Woods Brothers, David Allan Coe, Omar Dykes, Miss Lavelle White, Jackie Venson, Alan Haynes, Gary Clark Jr.
Some Cool News in 2019: One of Jennifer’s many original songs, ‘What’s Done Is Done’ off the new album ‘Downtown’, is being considered for an upcoming Hollywood Movie. Jennifer has also been invited to sing backup on four tracks of the upcoming Bobby Whitlock/Coco Carmel CD release.
Additionally,
Jennifer B and her band will be touring with the amazing Randy Hansen Jimi
Hendrix Tribute Band in 2019-2020
for the
50th Commemorative Year of Woodstock Festival.
Band Members
Links
