Music producer Jerry The Cat (Jerrald James) was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1950. A well known conga drummer and DJ, he is noted for his rhythmic feel and smooth mixing skills. Jerry has worked with a wide variety of percussive instruments and gained particular recognition for his skill with congas. He has played with many bands, musicians and producers. His range of experience includes several music categories: jazz, fusion, rhythm & blues, funk, gospel, blues, rock, disco, theatrical, classical, and experimental. He has appeared with Parliament/Funkadelic, toured with CJ & Company (“Devil’s Gun”), and recorded live with gospel great James Cleveland. Electronic dance music captured Jerry’s interest in 1985, having been introduced to the gender by Sharrod Ingram at Buy-Rite Records, Detroit’s first underground record shop. There, and at the Music Institute (Detroit’s legendary underground dance club) he met and witnessed many talented Detroit DJs, including Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Alton Miller, and Terrence Parker. In 1988, Jerry began playing congas to accompany DJs Overdose and Claude Young at the Music Institute II. Thereafter, accompanying DJs with percussion became his specialized expertise. On Christmas Day, 1989, he gained wide spread recognition performing with Carl Craig’s BFC at the Majestic Theater in Detroit. He later recorded with Carl, featured in a Carl Craig remix of Kenny Larkin’s “Sarena X”. In 1990, DJ Overdose convinced Jerry to acquire turntables and a mixer so as to try out DJing. He developed smooth mixing skills very quickly. In 1991 he acquired a radio show in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, CJAM, 91.5 FM. It was initially called “Leaving To Zion” and featured Reggae and Dub. It later evolved to become “The Rhythm Gallery”, featuring an eclectic mix of electronic music, dub, and jazz. In 1992, Jerry with three partners, opened the Skyloft Gallery in Detroit, an underground cultural center, noted for its experimental art exhibits, poetry readings, musical/theatrical performances, and state-of-the-art dance parties. DJs on the bills for these parties included Blake Baxter, Moodymann, (Kenny Dixon Jr.), Derrick Carter, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Claude Young, Terrence Parker, Agent X (Mike Clark), Rick Wilhite and many more (including, of course, owners DJ Minx and Jerry The Cat). Through 1995, Jerry performed regularly as a percussionist with DJ Munk (Alvin Hill), backing many poets and free style rappers at the Poureè Me Cafe in Detroit. In 1996, at Cafe Mahogany of Detroit, he combined skills, drumming and mixing, as accompaniment to poets. This time the music mix was acid jazz, trip hop, smooth drum & bass, etc. In late 1996, Jerry became resident DJ at the newly opened Amsterdam Lounge in Windsor, Ontario, where he developed a loyal following. Drumming while he mixed frequently drew the curious from the streets. It generated an infectious excitement in an intimate environment, and an atmosphere which sustained and evolved to attract many talented DJs and musicians who participated as well. The Amsterdam Lounge became one of the most respected dance venues in the area, as patrons were drawn from Windsor, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, New York, and Montreal. Noted as a uniquely skilled studio percussionist, Jerry has been recorded and sampled frequently in electronic and underground music. He has performed on projects for Kenny Dixon Jr., Theo Parrish, Scott Grooves, L.A. Williams, ReCloose, Carl Craig, Franck Roger, Detroit Grand Pubah, etc. In1998, Jerry produced his first release for Derrick Thompson’s label, Soiree Records, “Mating Ritual”. A hot percussive samba, it included remixes by Theo Parrish and DJ Minx. Jerry’s association with Derrick Thompson (DJ Drivetrain), led to performances in Paris, France at the What’s Up Bar. Jerry decided to hang around Paris a while longer and with friends acting as agents he was able to perform at several venues: The Gibus, the Man Ray, Follies Pigalle, and Cafe Oz’s Harlem Hotel parties. He also appeared in parties outside of Paris: Lyon, Nice, Nancy, Toulouse, Tours, and Renne. He also played in Ajaccio and Porto-Vecchio of Corse, Liege of Belgium, and in Singapore. Returning Stateside in 1999, Jerry appeared at the Winter Music Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, where he played congas, accompaning L. A. Williams, Roger Sanchez, Little Louis Vega, DJ Pierre, Scott Grooves, Kevin Saunderson, and Carl Craig in various appearances. Then in 2000 he appeared at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival accompanying Agent X and Alan Ester. On December 31,2000, the New Year’s Eve of the Millennium, Jerry and partners opened the Velvet Room, an intimate dance lounge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Elegant and warm, the venue drew immediate attention and support from the community, winning the “Best New Business of the Year” award from Biz X Magazine, the foremost business magazine in Windsor. Around this time, Jerry formed a collective, dedicated to meaningful art in music, seeking to cross electronic and organic concepts with visual and verbal forms of expression. Dark River Collective’s home base was the Velvet Room, where it quickly drew dedicated supporters, and contributed to the success of the club. It grew to become a much acclaimed music production group comprised of musicians, singers, poets, and electronic music producers. In 2001 the group frequently appeared at the Velvet Room, enjoyed multiple appearances at the Winter Music Conference, and played the main stage at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (capped off with an afterglow intimate set at the Capital Theater in Windsor). Jerry returned to Paris in early 2002, where he appeared frequently at the REX, accompanying various artists, including Carl Craig, Jeff K, Cuidad Feliz, Didier Allyn, i-Cube, Charles Schilling, and Collin Dale. He also performed with Roch Dadier at the Batofar, and then with Robert Owens at the Global. In a swing back to the US for the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (2002), he performed live with Larry Heard at the Majestic Theater. Then back in Paris he joined Gilb’r and i-Cube on radio NOVA. Following a break from the scene for personal reasons, Jerry teamed with DJ Minx to reform Skyloft Gallery as Skyloft Productions in 2005. Jerry founded DARK RIVER MEDIA in 2007: a web based music label, media outlet and art gallery. Dark River Media has thus far released two albums and an EP, with two more albums, an EP and two singles scheduled for early 2009.