Cece Rogers

Cleveland-born vocalist Ce Ce Rogers wisely changed his name from Kenny to avoid confusion with the country/pop singer. James Brown nicknamed him Ce Ce as a teen, after watching the young Rogers imitate Chubby Checker. Rogers later studied music in Boston, where he was a classmate of Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis urged him to concentrate on his vocals. Rogers moved to New Jersey and formed Ce Ce & Company, where he worked with vocalist Sybil. After producer Marshall Jefferson saw his show, he recruited Rogers to sing the vocals on a song he'd written titled "Someday." The song did well enough for Rogers to land his own deal. His 1989 LP Forever was well received by dance audiences, and he followed it in 1991 with Never Give Up.