I was born and raised in Erie, PA where my entire family still lives. We're all very close and I've tried to get some or all of them to move out here for years. No luck so far!

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Oh man! Don't get me started! I have so many, but I'd have to say at the top of the list would be Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Louie Armstrong, Peabo Bryson, Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, and Shirley Horn.

There's tons more! It's so great having been brought up in an era of such legendary and amazing musicians.

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I had just been out of high school for about a year when a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to start a rock band. I really didn't expect anything to come of it, but thought it would be a lot of fun, so I jumped on board as the lead singer for Holy Smoke, and before I knew it, we got our first paying gig! We actually became one of the more popular bands in town. I literally quit my day job and never looked back. That was a turning point for me in that I realized that THIS is what I wanted to do for a living.

I'm sure my parents had different aspirations for me than joining a rock band fresh out of school, but at the same time they knew that singing was something I was passionate about, and that I was head-strong and determined enough to make it happen.

After singing hard rock (incorrectly) for a couple of years, I started to develop nodes and had to quit singing for quite awhile, so I decided to move to Colorado with three of my friends.

I came home to visit my family for a couple weeks on vacation after about a year or so, and was out to dinner with my sister at a local hangout. There was an R&B band playing there and we were dancing, when the lead singer came out on the dance floor and kept shoving his microphone into people's faces to join in. He came up to me and I grabbed the mic and went for it. I'm usually so shy about that sort of thing. To this day, I'm not real keen on "sitting in" when I go out to hear others entertain, but for some reason that night I let my inhibitions go, and just SANG! That same night I was asked to join the band, and I did. I never went back to Colorado. I left all my stuff there and started a new chapter in my life!

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There was actually quite a big adjustment. I was used to playing R&B to a hip younger audience back East. And we were GOOD! But Vegas is a tourist town where the target audience ranges from teenagers to senior citizens, so even though our performances were really polished, we realized we had to cover a wider variety of musical genres.

During my first year here, I was introduced to an incredible musician, Gus Mancuso, who had a huge impact on turning me more in the jazz direction. He is amazingly talented on so many instruments. In fact, he worked as Sarah Vaughan's keyboardist. She was always an idol of mine, so getting to see her perform at the Golden Nugget with Gus on piano is a very special memory of mine.

Once I started incorporating jazz into my sets, the work started to really pick up. My first long-term job was a steady house-band gig at the Maxim, and from there I continued for the next several years playing all the major casinos in Las Vegas.

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I was offered a one year contract with one my agent's other clients, Stan Stahl. He was forming a band that would feature intricate vocal harmonies, kind of like Manhattan Transfer. We named the group Stan's Band & Jan. Our first job was playing the dinner sets before the Moulin Rouge Show at the Las Vegas Hilton.

After a few years, a couple of my girlfriends dragged me to an audition for Steve Silver's "Beach Blanket Babylon", which is huge in San Francisco. It's been running there for almost 30 years. The show parodies everything from famous personalities, to fairy tales, to politicians. As I watched the auditions, I went from scared to horrified!  I literally tried to run, but my friends wouldn't let me. My friend Dolly Coulter dragged me to a back hallway of the Sands to try to give me a crash course learning the "time step". If there was a back exit there, believe me, I would have left her in the dust charging for the door.

Next thing I know I'm on stage being asked to do an impersonation of somebody famous. Drawing a complete blank, I came up with Elmer Fudd. Don't ask... I decided Elmer would sing New York New York. But Mr. Silver thought I should take it up a notch, and have Elmer performing New York New York as Liza Minelli. Needless to say, I had him in stitches, and I actually got the job. How many people can say they got into an off-broadway type show auditioning as Elmer Fudd?

We closed the Las Vegas BBB show after a two year run, which is when I started traveling internationally for the first time in my career. I traveled to France, Italy, Japan, and China, performing in contemporary jazz clubs, as well as for the Costa Classica World Cruise lines with my own show.

Upon my return to Las Vegas, I joined a group of really talented, well-known musicians put together by band leader and drummer, Mark Barrett, called Nightshift. The group also includes Billy Tragesser, Paul Taylor, Lee Thompson, and Michael Ray Tyler. Billy, Mark and I had played together at different times throughout the years, so we've always have that "comfort zone" both musically and as friends.

We've been together now since about 1993. We play a lot of exclusive corporate events for industry icons such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems, American Express, Oreck, Toyota, Morgan Stanley, Sysco Foods, and Century 21. We also do private parties and slot tournaments hosted by many of the major casinos, including the Golden Nugget, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Bellagio, and MGM to name a few.

In 1996 I was invited to join a second musical group, Vocalese, for a daytime long-term contract at the Excalibur. At that time, the group consisted of Steve Dimond, and Diane Ellis (the same friend that dragged me to the BBB audition!) Later Steve Dimond left to open a music production studio, and Steven Lee took his place. I can't say enough about the incredible talent in this group! Thanks to my experience with Stan Stahl's band, which really taught me to develop my "ears" and how to "blend", becoming a smooth sounding trio was effortless.

During our run at the Excalibur, Steven Lee asked me to join a contemporary jazz group he was forming called Steven Lee and Cie. We had the coolest gig in town at a hip little French restaurant and bar called Frogeez which was a popular hangout for musicians and singers. It has to go down as the best time I've ever had playing a club here in Las Vegas.

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It's changed a lot since I first moved here, but believe it or not, many of the musicians and singers I met when I first came here are still some of my closest friends today.

Of course there's competition for work within the industry, but we're all very supportive of each other, and these people are like my extended family.

I'm always amazed at the wealth of talent in this town. Some of the finest musicians and singers anywhere live and work here, and I'm really proud to call them my friends and fellow performers.

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I've sung at lots of shows and events and have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Michael McDonald, Josh Groban, David Foster, Jeffrey Osbourne, and also performed on "Nashville Network's Prime Time Country" (hosted by Gary Chapman) with country greats including Toby Keith, Martina McBride, and several others over the course of taping the TV show in Las Vegas.

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I've enjoyed doing a lot of voice work over the years between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I've done backup singing with several name acts and a lot of studio work, recording original songs as demo specs for the writers. I've also been contracted for narration projects, promos, and TV and radio voiceovers.

On the acting side, I started doing impersonations of Cher and Liza Minelli almost three years ago. This has been a lot of fun and allows me to interact with audiences on a whole different level. I had studied improv with the Groundlings, where many of the Saturday Night Live and SCTV performers got their start. I find I put this experience to good use with my Cher, Liza (and Elmer!) impersonations. You have to be quick on your feet, funny, and ready to improvise on any audience member's comments at any time. Being a celebrity impersonator is not as easy as it may look, but it's fun, even though once in awhile people get a little carried away with their enthusiasm for the actual celebrity. I've been groped, fondled, my wig's been practically pulled off, and I often have tearful "fans" telling me how much they love me, and lining up for autographs!

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Only once. I usually wait until I get to the actual job to change into my Cher or Liza "drag", and the same goes for when I'm done performing; I change back into "Janice" before leaving the event. One night, it was very late by the time I finished, and I was just too tired to change, so I just headed home in full Cher regalia. About half way home I pulled up to a light and a car full of people pulled up next to me. They were screaming Cher's name, honking the horn and holding up traffic, yelling for an autograph. So we pulled over and I sent them home with pictures of us, and autographed pictures of me as Cher.

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I love the creative process of interior design. I already do consultations for several clients, and in the future I'd like to open up my own business.

Another interest I have is the art of photography. I'm looking forward to pursuing this as a serious hobby down the road.

I've always been an avid reader. You'll hardly ever find me without a book in my hand... or purse... or car... My friends tease me about reading even while I'm on the treadmill at the gym.

And speaking of the gym - I also enjoy working out - not only for myself, but also because it's a part of my job to keep fit, for both my stage image, and to improve my breathing and stamina. You gotta stay strong!

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I'm going to be collaborating on a new CD with Steven Lee and Brenda Leonard Cowart, doing not only originals, but covers of older songs with a hipper groove. The CD will feature several guest appearances by many of my talented friends. It will be available on the web site in the near future.

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