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“font-family: Verdana;”>“Well … name the band Dirty Muggs, baby,” Garry “Dee Dee” James said, impersonating his former boss – funk legend Bootsy Collins – in his trademark tone. It was Collins’ way of giving his blessing when DeeDee revealed he was returning home to start a band in St. Louis.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”> “I don’t know what it means, but people laugh when they hear it,” James admitted. “Bootsy gives you a name, and the name takes on a personality of itself.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Collins dubbed Kenneth Edmonds “Babyface” back when the singer/songwriter was with The Deal – and the rest is history. And when James was on the road as Collins’ lead guitar player, Bootsy would say, “Come here, Dirty Muggs” as James’ cue for a solo.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As he steps back from more than 20 years as one of the most sought-after guitar players in popular music – working with artists ranging from Ice Cube and Outkast to Paula Abdul and Color Me Badd – he has entered the spotlight as bandleader of some of the most talented musicians in the area.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>When the St. Louis American Foundation decided to switch the style up for the official 2011 Salute after-party by incorporating live music instead of the usual DJ, the choice was clear.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“My job is to keep them on the dance floor, and that’s what we are going to do,” James said. “They are going to hear something old, something new, something for everybody – and something that they won’t forget.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>James created the band in the spirit of Earth, Wind and Fire and The Jackson 5 – with choreography and an eye-catching show to accompany the music. Because the musicians reflect a blend of generations, they have the capacity to cover everything from Snoop Dogg to Sam Cooke.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“All of us come from different eras, from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and on up to now,” James said of the band that also includes Edgar “Boni” Hinton, Jason “Dirty Lint” Moore, Justin Clay and Roderick “LS Bless” Smith.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Hinton and James are childhood friends who each created solid reputations in their own right in the music industry. Working together as veterans, they harken back to an era when dance was incorporated into a band’s performance.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You had to know the routine and the music, and that was what it was going to be about – like The Jackson 5, Cameo and bands like that,” James said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“It’s a lost art form. We wanted to bring that type of performance back and start at home. You can see something like that in Vegas, but you don’t see it here.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The band is new, but it seems like every time they play a gig another one comes out of it. Which is how they ended up at Salute.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>They are not taking their position as ambassadors to the dance floor lightly.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“When I heard what the gala was like and what they wanted at the after-party, I was like, ‘This is perfect,’” James said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“The newspaper is huge, and I am honored for the opportunity. They told us when the doors open from the main event, they don’t want anybody to leave the dance floor. And that’s exactly what they are going to get.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Though new to Salute as a performer, James knows what to expect from the reputation that precedes the gala.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He said, “It’s a great event for us to be a part of, and we know what the Salute means to the St. Louis community.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The St. Louis American Foundation’s 24th Annual Salute To Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala will take place at 7 p.m. (pre-reception at 6 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 16 at America’s Center Ballroom. The post-gala entertainment by The Dirty Muggs begins at 9:30 p.m. For more information, call 314-533-8000 or visit
“http://www.stlamerican.com/salute_to_excellence/education_gala/”>http://www.stlamerican.com/salute_to_excellence/education_gala/
