Family Madness

Singer songwriter, Vannessa Simon, is one of theUK's brightest diva on the soul set. She carries the swing with funky lyrical sophistication, evocative and arresting vocals mixed with a vibrant, captivating stage presence. Daughter of the Godfather of Brit-funk, Root Jackson, Vannessa has been gigging since she was seventeen. She sang lead vocals for a year with Jazz-funk band Dirty Money, toured three years with cult musical theatre hit "Black Heroes in the hall of fame", and formed the all girl group, 4th Generation, recording a cover of Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody. A UK tour with Omar led to her recording backing vocals on his UK Top Twenty album, There's Nothing Like This, which paved the way for a recording deal with Congo as their first female vocalist. Vannessa's debut album in '92, Family Madness, was hailed as a nineties street soul classic, seizing wide spread critical acclaim and big respect from the new school of British soul. A movement that dares to break the rules of prepackaged/formula soul, strip away the dross and dig deeper, grooving through boundaries of Jazz, R&B and Rap. Produced by Congo stablemate Omar, Family Madness was perhaps ahead of its time and remains a treasure with untapped market potential. Besides working on her own music, Vannessa has provided backing vocals for Soul II Soul on their 1994 world tour. She has also recorded a track called "Revolution" with Jamiroquai for their album "Emergency on Planet Earth" as well as accompanying them on their 1997 UK tour. Her second album, in 1997, "Definitive Source: Love Stories & Life Choices" showed how much she has matured musically, yet still with her roots set firmly in British Black Music. Producers Michael Daley/Everis and Kenny Nicholas introduced a softer, more sultry Vannessa, maintaining her dynamic balance between stunning lyrics and tuff UK street beats. In 1997, Maxwell requested her support on his UK tour because of her dramatic vocal range and spiritual presence. She obliged him and the tour was a resounding success. Music is her vocation in the truest sense of the word and in recording and promotion sabbaticals she can be found rolling up her sleeves and earnestly involving herself in Community Based music projects for underprivileged youth. Vannessa is currently working on her third album with some co-writes by Nick Van Gelder formerly of Jamiroquai, and old Congo stablemate Omar back on production.