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What They're Saying....
The New Orleans Tribune
James Stephens III, Master Impressionist
”making an impression”
by Kasium Harris
photos by Shawn Colin
On a recent night at Harrah’s Casino, master impressionist James Stephens III performs for a crowd at the Earl Turner Theater. At any given time, Stephens effortlessly channels the likes of Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder or Louis Armstrong right before the audience’s eyes. Just as impressive as his comedic talent and impersonations is his singing voice. With his five-piece band, Stephen’s show includes a number of musical selections that are easy on the ears. Yet, more impressive than any of that is this man’s own life story—the obstacles he overcame, a few lucky breaks, his varied accomplishments and his own philanthropic efforts. Even when he is not on stage, James Stephens III is . . .
Amid the plethora of ringing slot machines at Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, patrons come and go with varying emotions. And tucked away in inside the casino is a theater that, at least for now, is home to James Stephens III. He is an actor, comedian and master impressionist whose performance five nights of the week at Harrah’s Earl Turner Theater has patrons leaving with one unvarying result—entertained.
The lights are lowered and the screen baring his logo is raised, suddenly the deep radio-styled voice of Eric Kelly III is heard over the speakers. The crowd, which is as diverse as St. Charles Avenue during a Mardi Gras parade, welcomes Stephens to the stage with a loud round of applause. As the curtains open, the five-piece band jams the 70’s hit “Brick house.” Stephens steps out on the stage and goes to work. Just as the opening song gets into a groove, he stops.
“Hold up!” he tells the band. “I didn’t know they had all these white folk in here!”
He proceeds to “do something for them.” He then exits the stage and returns with the swagger and demeanor of a Frank Sinatra, as he croons one of his tunes.
Two things are immediately apparent. First, he has a command of the stage that draws the audience in. Second, he has a wide range of interests.
In fact, he will readily admit that his show is influenced by the cultures he has been exposed to and an ability to turn tragedy to triumph.
Stephens is the youngest of seven children; and when he was eight years old, his father James Stephens II was in accident that changed the course of his young life.
“My mom had a third-grade education, so you understand that my dad was the bread winner in my family,” Stephens says. “Once my dad was in that accident—brain damaged and paralyzed—my mom couldn’t really take care of seven kids with a third grade education.”
Other people began to help the family; and ultimately, Stephens was adopted by a family from Seattle, Dr. Gordon Drake and his wife, who treated him as one of their own.
“They [were] a white family—not from the south. In Seattle, they really dig Black folk, so they helped me out,” Stephens says, jokingly.
After being adopted, he still maintained a close relationship with his older siblings, all of whom became successful in their respective endeavors, despite the early adversities. In addition, Stephens gained another sibling in the form of the Drake’s son, Jeff.
“You know I’ve been in their lives for more than 20 something years; and their son and I are like brothers. We’re like just as close me and my real brothers.”
The Drakes and Stephens’ close relationships continues. The Drakes often attend his shows across the country and are coming to New Orleans to see him. Living with the Drakes afforded Stephens the invaluable experience of traveling abroad and being exposed to various cultures—activities that most likely would have remained out of his reach if he had stayed in his previous impoverished environment. And they were experiences that proved to be a catalyst in his ascension to stardom.
“They help me to develop me. I went off to school. I applied myself and never really looked back.”
Stephens worked in the court system throughout school and would try to impart advice on many of the young men who had fallen on the wrong side of the law. He recalls reading books on Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Those books influenced him to study law to help fight injustices.
After earning his undergraduate degree, he earned a law degree from Georgetown University’s School of Law. Knowing all to well the struggles of his birth family, Stephens knew that being educated was important. However, he never lost sight of his long term goal of being an entertainer.
Just how Stephens landed his own months-long gig at Harrah’s, is another serendipitous tale of fate and fortune.
“I was here at the Improv performing for a (private show), and a Harrah’s executive saw me,” he says.
John Payne, president of the Harrah’s south eastern region, was really impressed with Stephens’ ability to entertain a multi-ethnic audience and make them all laugh. Payne wanted to work with him.
As Stephens sees it, Harrah’s New Orleans is just the beginning.
“The next level is Las Vegas,” he says. He has played Las Vegas before, but he also realizes to be a Black feature act on the strip would represent another level of achievement. Despite the many television, film and radio credits to date, in his mind he hasn’t arrived yet. He is still striving for greater heights.
Still, he has not forgotten his meager beginning and has made giving back his own personal cause. He has an annual scholarship gala that attracts many Hollywood stars in support of his foundation. His wife Dr. Tammi Stephens is the co-chairwoman of the JSIII Scholarship Foundation that sends at least three students to college each year and 30 students to date.
And Stephens isn’t too proud to beg, or at least ask all who attend his show to also support his scholarship fund. They could of course make a simple donation. But for those who like to get something tangible for their money, Stephens has books and autographed pictures for sale after the show.
The show began in early June and runs though Aug. 21. So for those who don’t care for games of chance and probability, Stephens’ show, filled with wit, is a sure bet.
LOUISIANA WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
James Stephens III brings humor, philanthropy to New Orleans
By Jan Clifford
Contributing Writer
James Stephens III is a whirling kaleidoscope of talent, fueled by high-octane brainpower, and he’s on a mission to change the world. His is a rags-to-riches story that Stephens keeps close to his heart. And the door to that heart swings open quite often.
“I love helping kids, because if not for people like this in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Stephens said. A car accident left his father brain damaged and confined to a hospital when Stephens was eight years old. The accident left his mother, who had only a third-grade education, with little means of support to raise seven children in their North Carolina home.
While working on a 4-H project for school, a local white family, the Drakes, recognized Stephen’s intelligent and focused dedication, and provided him with access to education, business training and the belief that he could accomplish great things in life. So Stephens did.
He graduated high school with honors, became a star athlete, earned a political science degree and studied law at the University of Washington. He served in the military. He also took to the stage, moving to Los Angeles and garnering roles in television and honing his comedy and impressions act. Stephens was on his way to becoming a renaissance man and a star. He was looking to show others that their limitations could also be overcome. So he went back home and founded a scholarship fund.
For the last 17 years, The James Stephens III Foundation has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships, computers and financial aid to children who excel in academic achievement in spite of challenges in their lives. His yearly fundraising gala is modeled on Hollywood’s Academy Awards ceremony, and features fellow celebrities who perform and announce scholarship awards. Some of those awards are named after the man who gave so much to Stephens: “The Dr. Gordon Drake” award; and others bear names such as the “I Believe I Can Fly” and “SuperKid” awards.
“All my life I wanted to do things to change people,” Stephens said, and added that he likes to draw from multiple sources to entertain while sneaking in social and political commentary. There is nothing routine about Stephens’ routines: he just might add a poetic reference from Kipling or Browning alongside a jab at Michael Jackson, next to an impression of Ray Charles on piano. His smart, literate observations on popular culture are truthful, deep belly laughing funny, and he leaves audiences gasping for breath.
“Sometimes the jokes just write themselves,” Stephens marveled, remembering his mother’s mock threat, “I’m going to slap the black off (of) you.” Stephens said, “I used to look at the other kids to see if that had happened to them. Then later, more kids would come over to the house and say, ‘Slap me, because I’m going for a job interview.’”
Stephens will be in New Orleans most of the summer, performing his eclectic and brilliant show at Harrah’s Casino until August 21. “No two nights are the same,” Stephens said. His rapid-fire impressions are sure to incorporate quirks and peccadilloes of New Orleans culture. Early observations so far: “In New Orleans, black people look like white people and white people look like blacks; one of the white guys in the band has a Jeri curl; and there is no exit off these expressways — it’s like being in a video game with no hyperspace.”
And every show ends with Stephens’ exhortation, “God created all races to have the fun we had at the show tonight. We’re all here to fight racism, AIDS, and the obstacles to good education. Governments try, but they can’t make it happen. It’s up to the people to make it happen.”◊
THE TIMES-PICAYNE NEWSPAPER
James Stephens III makes a big impression
Friday, June 10, 2005
By Doug MacCash
Staff writer
The best part of impressionist/comedian James Stephens III's show at Harrah's is what he calls the "Negroes gone country" section, about the two-thirds point in the hour-and-20-minute act. Stephens, who's an amazing musical chameleon, had finished crooning a couple of just-like-the-jukebox Lionel Richie numbers, accompanying himself expertly on piano, when he announced that he feared some of the "white folks" in the audience might be feeling a little left out.
So, for balance, he pounded out some credible bars of a Buck Owens tune ("Truck Drivin' Man"), then segued into a similarly spot-on impersonation of Johnny Cash (though the satirical lyrics would make The Man in Black roll over in his grave: "Because she's 9, I'm doing time"), ending the rapid fire medley with a silky recollection of Charlie Pride.
But all of that was just the setup. The real laughs began when Stephens paused, mopped his forehead and mused, "What if black folks only did country music?" then launched into a toothy, twangy, cracker-barrel rendition of ribald rapper Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" that sent last Saturday's casino crowd into convulsions.
Up to that point the show had been a pleasurable sort-of get acquainted period, with the affable, energetic Los Angeles-based JSIII warming up the room with is-it-real-or-is-it-Memorex song snippets of bygone pop stars from Frank Sinatra to Luther Vandross to Sammy Davis Jr. to Elvis Presley, backed by a flexible five-piece, all New Orleans, all white (Stephens points out sarcastically) combo.
Between numbers he issued a barrage of audience-baiting jabs, punctuated with a few haymaker jokes, such as: "I liked Michael Jackson when he was black. Now that he's white, even the white people don't like him. At this rate, in 15 years he's gonna be transparent" and (speaking of Barry White): "Can song lyrics really get a woman pregnant? My sister told my mother that . . . three times." Stephens dropped plenty of similar off-color remarks and took particular joy in pantomiming Prince's oral/microphone fixations, but the act wasn't particularly blue. As Stephens points out during his a-touch-too-earnest autobiographical interlude, he stays away from the obsessive cursing and explicit patter of many contemporary comics.
The Snoop Dogg send up was the turning point in the show, and Stephens never let the mood slip away. On the downhill side of the act, he kept the pot boiling with a blur of split-second pop impressions fueled by audience requests. It's hard to tell, of course, how much of a performer's improvisations are really improvisations, but Stephens seemed to be in a sweaty, free associative fugue state by show's end, calling out chord changes to the band as he finely chopped Rick James, Garth Brooks, Al Jarreau, Kenny Rogers, R. Kelly, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and even John Lennon into pop culture coleslaw. A riot.
Stephens is a stunning talent. If there's any room for improvisational improvement, it's in the Big Easy references. The woman in the next seat shook with laughter during the whole last half of the act, but her request for an Aaron Neville impression went unanswered.
James, listen, work on the Yat accent, add a little Master P, cook up a couple of Kermit Ruffins gags, use an erasable marker to draw a dagger tattoo on your face and chortle a few bars of "Tell It Like It Is." It'll take the already high-flying act into Crescent City orbit.
_________________________
JAMES STEPHENS III Master impressionist What: Pop music impersonations and good-natured racial/sexual satire by the high-energy comedian.
Where: The Earl Turner Theatre, Harrah's New Orleans Casino, 512 S. Peters St. (at the foot of Canal Street), (504) 533-6000.
When: Wed and Sun at 8 p.m.; Thurs-Sat at 10 p.m., through Aug. 21.
Tickets: $19.95 and $24.95, with a show/buffet package available for $32.
James Stephens III performs at Harrah's Casino through Aug. 21.
DATA NEWS WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
July 18, 2005
James Stephens III Live in New OrleansThe Funniest Show on Earth Comes South!
Harrah's Casino, Canal Street New Orleans,
LA. June 1 - August 21, 2005
EDITORIAL- by Eric Kelly III
The Funny Man Show comes south!
James Stephens III Live in New Orleans is a combination of a steady 20 years climb to stardom and a relentless dedication to making people laugh.
Comedian, Singer and impressionist James Stephens III show at the Harrah’s New Orleans is one of the hottest tickets in town. The nationally known comedian-impressionist is headlining one of the premier Casino’s in the south.
Stephens draws from his remarkable repertoire of more than 1,000 voices to present dead-on impressions in each performance. Each show is different and is often infused with impromptu requests from the audience or an instant improvisation from Stephens. Stephens’ ability to switch from one on-the-money impression to another without missing a beat has earned him the name master impressionist. He actually becomes the celebrity he is portraying, complete with him sometimes playing the piano or his famous characteristic facial expression. In some circles he is known as the cat in the hat, Da funny man and the man of a thousand voices. James is completely unique in the world of celebrity tributes, musical impression and stand up...he does the characters as a living tribute to the musical icons he emulates...he has an amazing ability to imitate their voices and mannerisms...
He is unique in the sense that he not only does the characters so well, he does it as a tribute to those persons he imitates and gives a stage performance unmatched by other comedians... Here is a man who is one of the most talented impressionists in the country, one of the best comedians in the country, but most importantly he is one of the best live entertainers in the market. The results are side splitting, belly aching laughter after belly aching laughter... The impressions are great because they are believable, and they are believable because of the excellent writing and the multi-talented talents of James Stephens III. Rather than relying on outrageous slap stick lines for laughs, the show’s humor is derived from the comedy genus of music, song and impressions. Some of the funniest stuff this side of the Mississippi.
Like so many other great comedians and great performers, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Red Fox, Dick Gregory, Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra before him James Stephens III is sizzling hot in a hilarious performances at the beautiful Harrah’s Casino, New Orleans. Stephens is electrifying audiences with his legendary impressions, his music and his up roaring comedy. His outrageous show is fiercely funny and amazing, one of the greatest comedy shows of our time. Stephen’s show is dedicated to many of the icons in movies, music and politics. Stephens is Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr., Bill Cosby and Elvis in his opening segment. Then in a blink of an eye he’s Chris Rock, Elton John, Bernie Mack, Garth Brooks, Al Green and Michael McDonald. Not only does Stephens do stand up he also plays piano in his seventy minute show.
During his show Stephens sits at the grand piano and plays a medley of Lionel Richie hits, Stevie Wonder and many others. It is the ultimate souvenir for fans that caught the act in Harrah’s Casino, New Orleans. Fans got a bonus as he preformed Al Jarreau complete with Jarreau famous scatting. Stephens also preformed comedy from his all new DVD live at the Carolina Theater, featuring some of the greatest impressions of this century. James Stephens III Live in New Orleans show is also brimming with steaming foot stomping country music, dead on impressions and other show stopping ballads. His transformation of Minnie the Moocher into a feverish sing-a-long solo made the audience stand to there feet in appreciation. His dedecation to "Ray Charles, 50 Years in Music is spell bounding, as Stephens does his impression of an icon that left his lasting mark on so many through his music. Without missing a beat with a racing pace Stephens does Steve Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Prince to the roar of the crowd. Without a doubt, James Stephens III Live is one of the most versatile and successful comedy shows in America, unmatched by many of his peers. With his on stage musical magic, Stephen’s comedy is smart, thought provoking, moving and well crafted. Truly an innovative comedian possessing the start and stop structure that captures the audience’s imagination. Each night he delivers classic impressions to countless standing ovations. Displaying the precision and poise of a truly gifted artist, whose crossover appeal rings loudly with his diverse audiences. These are just a few high points of the James Stephens III show seen at Harrah’s Casino New Orleans, from June to August 2005. The show shines with brilliances, sparkles with delight and leaves you wanting more. James Stephens III is truly one of the funniest comedians in the history of comedy in the world! Stephens not only delivers terrific impressions, his comedic talent is well-timed and physically impressive. He's got the sound, facial expressions, the moves - and the talent - to easily fill a larger room. He has a dynamic flair for comedy, his on-stage charisma is brilliant, and he puts on a great show. He's a rare late night delight. A must see for all of New Orleans!” The greatest part of his show is that he will be here through August and you to can go and see this great performer. "Looking for Fun “this show is a knockdown funny, “WOW is this man funny! + Great Laughs! "Excellent... The show flows smartly, never missing a beat.
James Stephens III will be at Harrah’s Casino at New Orleans July - August 2005. For show tickets call 504-533-6600 or purchase online, or visit the Box Office. Stephens will perform Wednesdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. For info direct call 504-810-4040 or 919-384-5556James Stephens III
ACTOR / COMEDIAN / IMPRESSIONIST
Los Angeles (323) 960-1025 | North Carolina (919) 466-9092How to Book James Stephens III
Step 1 Submit date jstephensiii@aol.com
