The Jennifer Jennings Band

"The Jennifer Jennings Band is as good or better than anything coming out of Nashville." Mike O'Cull - staff writer for Illinois Entertainer, IllinoisBlues.com and ChicagoMusicGuide.com. The Jennifer Jennings Band has been described as Sheryl Crow meets the Allman Brothers. Biography The Jennifer Jennings Band is one of the hottest and most promising modern country bands in Chicago. Yes, that’s right, country from Chicago. The Windy City, while being known as the Home Of The Blues, also has...

"The Jennifer Jennings Band is as good or better than anything coming out of Nashville." Mike O'Cull - staff writer for Illinois Entertainer, IllinoisBlues.com and ChicagoMusicGuide.com. The Jennifer Jennings Band has been described as Sheryl Crow meets the Allman Brothers. Biography The Jennifer Jennings Band is one of the hottest and most promising modern country bands in Chicago. Yes, that’s right, country from Chicago. The Windy City, while being known as the Home Of The Blues, also has a long tradition of country music, which at times gets overlooked. Jennifer Jennings and her band represent the newer style of pop and rock-influenced country, drawing their inspiration as much from songwriters like Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow as from anything coming out of Nashville. The result is music that combines the story-telling type of songwriting of Americana with a sound based in the classic rock that we all love that seems fresh, new, and familiar at the same time. The band’s debut CD All The Pieces gives ample evidence of the success of this musical pairing and Jennifer and company are eager to spread their word across the Midwest. Jennifer Jennings and her clear, pure alto vocals are familiar to many audiences in Chicago and beyond. From her days fronting the band Burnt Toast to singing sessions for other artists including Mr. Meyers and Dave Barrett to working as a singer of radio jingles, Jennings has been a constant presence on the Chicago music scene. She has performed in venues like Wrigley Field, The Cubby Bear, Durty Nellie’s, Taste of Chicago, Navy Pier, and countless others clubs and festivals. The musicians in her band are equally visible and experienced and make up the perfect unit to back Jennifer on the concert stage. The band members (guitarist Michael Kranicke, bassist James DiGiralamo, keyboardist Rick Ariail, and drummer Greg Campbell) have all worked with many notable Midwestern and national acts including Nick Moss & The Flip Tops, Big Guitars From Memphis, Steve Smith (Journey), Peaches and Herb, and The Voodoo Kings and pack all the musical muscle needed for this new endeavor. The Jennifer Jennings Band is the perfect choice for any venue, concert, or fest seeking great songs (both original and cover), outstanding musicianship, and an engaging and entertaining live performance. Book them for an event and discover for yourself why savvy talent buyers have them back again and again. Singer/songwriter Jennifer Jennings (formerly Jennifer Onesto) was one of the founding members of Burnt Toast and they went on to perform together until the mid-1990s playing many Chicagoland clubs including Durty Nellie’s, The Cubby Bear, local festivals and playing before Cubs games at Wrigley Field. In 1996, The Jennifer Onesto Band came together for Jennifer’s debut CD "Twenty Houses". Jennifer won a music contest courtesy of 101.9FM "The Mix" in Chicago. Such exposure proved golden for her. That summer she participated in the city's largest outdoor music festival, "The Taste of Chicago." The Jennifer Jennings Band has recorded and released their first CD entitled "All The Pieces". Some of Jennifer’s musical influences are Shawn Colvin, Fleetwood Mac, Mary Chapin- Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Tom Petty, The Jayhawks, REM and Sheryl Crow. James DiGirolamo - electric & upright bass, vocals James has performed professionally for 28 years, with extensive experience in upright and electric bass. He studied at DePaul University's School of Jazz Music and privately with Larry Gray, who plays bass with Ramsey Lewis. As a "jobbing musician", he has done radio jingles, studio session work, a great deal of pit work and many orchestral performances, including Chicago's Orchestra Hall. His long-term band experiences include swing with the Riff Rockets the Rhythm Rockets, the Rockafellers; blues with the Convulsions and Phil Baron; pop-rock with Burnt Toast, and JP and the Cats as well as countless jazz groups including the Tom Sorich Trio. James has also played country, zydeco and rock-a-billy with bands such as the Big Guitars from Memphis, The Delta Rhythm Kings, Guy Lawerence and Chydeco zydeco. He has been nominated for a Handy Award with Nick Moss and the Flip Tops, a touring blues band that plays regularly at Buddy Guy's Legends and The House of Blues. He currently has professional endorsement deals with Lakland, Gallien-Krueger, Bag End and Rotosound. James also teaches bass and guitar at www.beautifulmusicdg.com & www.ellmansmusic.com Michael Kranicke - guitar A graduate of Bostons Berklee College of Music, Michael punctuates his emotional vocals with guitar solos that jangle and jump. His blues - drenched foundation can be traced to memories of hearing B.B. King at the age of four and the privilege of seeing the late great Muddy Waters. An impassioned lyricist, he reinforces the rhythm section with arresting melodies. A seasoned stage performer, Michael lead the group Blues Effect and toured the Southwest heavily from 1990 to 1994 opening up for various national acts. Moving to Chicago, he immediately dove in head first and formed the band the VOODOO KINGS and has written and co-produced all three of the bands releases. With his fingers in television as well, past assignments include work for ESPN, Fox Sports, E! Entertainment, the BBC as well as mixing live productions with Grammy award winning artists like Albertina Walker, The Soul Stirrers, and Jars of Clay. Michael has also performed with The Big Babies, Jennifer Onesto, Thick Richard Blues Express and US 99’s John Howell’s Born to Boogie Band and is now a proud new member of The Jennifer Jennings Band. Greg Campbell - drums Greg Campbell is a professional drummer and teacher with over 22 years of experience. Most recently he was performing and touring with blues guitarist Nick Moss. Nick and the group were nominated for the prestigious W.C. Handy (the equivalent to a Grammy for Blues) award in 2003 and again in 2004. Greg was also a member of the ten piece swing band "The Riff Rockets" and rock bands "I Speak Jive" , "Japan Man" and "Ignatious". Other performing and recording credits include Kim Wilson and the "Fabulous Thunderbirds", Buddy Guy, Curtis Salgado of Santana, Willie Smith, Pinetop Perkins of Muddy Waters, Junior Watson, The Mighty Blue Kings, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Rod Piaza and the Mighty Flyers, and Anson Funderburg. Rick Ariail - keys Award winning songwriter and producer Rick Ariail brings his 30 years of performing experience to The Jennifer Jennings Band. He is a former member of "The Landsharks" which was Jimmy Buffett's permanent opening band. He has worked with Herbie Hancock and "Peaches and Herb".