Interview with Bybee D. James

Bybee D. James was raised in Oak Cliff Texas. Bybee D. James is her stage name her given name is Debra James. Bybee's love for the arts began at an early age. Her first performance on stage before an audience was dancing at the age of three. Her love for ballet was superseded only by her love for music, poetry and lyrics. She started playing the keyboards at age ten. Her talent was voluntarily placed on the back burner to raise her two sons. Casey James (Top 3 on Season Nine of American Idol) and Billy Cole James they are both exceedingly talented musicians and songwriters.

Casey plays guitar and mandolin on her CD titled "Cross That Line" and he sings back-up vocals. He takes the lead role on the last track singing "Talk about Suffering" a gospel song that he learned from his mother as a child.

I spoke with Bybee about her life and her CD.

When did you first start singing?

Bybee - I didn't really start singing for money and weddings and things like that until I was in my late teens early twenties. For the first part of my life I was a dancer. I was in dance all my life really. Until about three years ago.

What kind of dance?

Bybee - For years I was in classical ballet, chorography and I got into the exercise dance part of it, I taught little ones tap and ballet. Then I got to where I couldn't really do that anymore, because it's a young person's thing, you know because of your knees and everything. Then I got into Middle Eastern dance, belly dancing is what they call it here. I hate to call it that because people think of all kinds of weird stuff in their heads, so I like to steer away from that term. I did that professionally and got paid for it in restaurants and Renaissance fairs and things like that.

So you did that while you sang and raised two boys?

Bybee - Yes I did that while I was cutting my CD and working also. I was pretty busy at that point and time in my life.

Are your parents musically inclined?

Bybee - Neither one of them played anything. My Dad I think played a little bit of guitar when he was young. My Mom didn't play anything but she was a huge, huge music lover. So we always had music. My parents weren't huge TV watchers. They had a TV unlike me and the boys. However it was really just not their main focus.

When we got together for family get-togethers music is what we did. We pulled out the guitars and I also play keyboard as well. So that is what we did. I played my Mother and Dad to sleep almost every night. From the time I was 12 until I moved out.

You taught yourself to play guitar didn't you?

Bybee - Yes pretty much. I just kind of picked it up from here and there. My ex played a little and I picked it up with him. I also learned a lot from Casey.

Did your sons Casey and Billy learn the same way?

Bybee - Casey would pick up things from here and there. He is pretty much self taught and he taught himself how to play lead, it was pretty crazy how he did it. Billy taught himself how to play as well. He would lock himself up in his room for hours and listen to bass lines; he didn't have any lessons either. Known of us really had any formal training. On the piano I think I had a year or two when I was 12 or 13. So I could learn how to read music. I feel really guilty that I didn't teach either of the boys to read music. But they never asked me. They just sort of played anyway.

How did you manage to raise 2 boys as a single mother, work and still find time for your music?

Bybee - I really don't know. I was always a mover and a shaker I guess, I had a lot of energy. I think me along with 10 million other single Mothers, when you find yourself in that position you just do it. When you don't have choices you play the hand that is dealt. You just do what you have to do.

Somehow you find the time. I wasn't raised in a family that felt sorry for their selves or complained. My Dad was just a real tough gritty fellow, he was our patriarch and he was the type of man who said pick yourself up by your boot straps and get on with it. That is how I was raised so I did it.

Who are your musical Idols that inspired you?Bybee - I had so many they range from George Jones to Luciano Pavarotti and Harry Connick Jr. I am all over the place. I don't stay in one genre. If it is quality music then I listen to it. I listen to so many different things.

Can you tell me about your CD Cross That Line?

Bybee - I co-wrote some of those songs with a cat I was hanging out with and playing a lot with. Some of them are co-written some of them are mine. I had a little bit of extra money and I had a hook up with a really fantastic studio and a great engineer who really knew what my music tastes were at that time and he agreed to co-produce with me at that time. So we all got in there and Casey got in there and we just laid down the tracks and ended up coming up with a pretty awesome Texas CD. Some of the songs I am doing now are not as gritty and they are folksier because I am writing completely alone now.

I am proud of the work. Casey did some fantastic classical guitar work on it. He did some great mandolin work; I did a little mandolin work on it as well. One song I actually play the guitar, the piano and the mandolin and I over dubbed on the song. It was just a dream come true for me and I am real proud of Casey's work on it.

It was hard to get him out of the sound booth, he is such a perfectionist. We would say Casey that was great, that guitar lead was amazing and he would say no I want to do it one more time. We didn't think we would ever get him out of the sound booth.

Casey would always get mad at me he would always say "Mom why don't you plug your CD?" I would never say anything. He would really get ticked at me sometimes because I would never plug myself. I always just felt unworthy because he was so good.

Are you planning for another CD?

Bybee - I have some more material that I actually want to lay down. I'm tentatively scheduled to start doing that in the next few months. Just for my own benefit but if someone wants to enjoy it with me that would be great. That is the whole reason I did the first one for my own benefit.

Music is a passion of mine. My problem is that I have so many passions and not enough time to pursue them. Maybe I will find a big sack of money someday and I can just sit and do what I want to do. I love to play, I love to write, I love to dance and I actually love to draw as well. My older son is a tremendous artist.

Well he needs to share some of his drawings online.

Bybee - Yes I know he does. He designs those wrist bands that Casey wears. He started that a long time ago before anyone was even doing that. He came up with that idea and I wish he would have patented that he would be making a lot of money right now.

Where can fans get your CD?

Bybee - I think it is on iTunes and you can go to CDBaby.com. It is under my stage name ByBee D. James. ByBee is not my name it is my Mom's name and Mom loved music and she loved for us to sit around and play. Even when she was literally dying of cancer, but she never got to hear my CD so I just took that name in honor of her. The CD has just been sitting there for a few years and I didn't do anything with it but people have kind of just found it through Casey. They did some research and found it and I have gotten quite a lot of good comments about it, it is pretty humbling.

What else do you have going on with music in the near future?

Bybee - I am starting to practice now for The Taste of Dallas Festival at Fair Park. I have not got the particulars yet but I think it is the weekend after July 4^th.

Make sure to Check out Bybee D. James' debut CD Cross That Line and if you are in the Dallas area stop by The Taste of Dallas Festival and watch her in a live performance.