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Soul, Versatility and Passion compose the triumviral force behind Cécile Doo-Kingué’s sound. Born and raised in New York, first generation from Cameroon, educated in the French lycée system, Cécile stems from a meeting of cultures,which is reflected in the eclecticism of her music. The last of eight children, she benefitted from her parents’ and siblings’ love of music, which ranged from jazz to rock to chanson française to all ‘world’ music. This musical versatility has enabled Cécile to feel at ease in a variety of styles.
Inspired by her brother JC, Cécile taught herself to play guitar listening to such greats as Freddie King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Robert Cray, Wes Montgomery, Larry Carlton, and John Scofield. Her musical education was topped off by a B.A. in Music from Concordia University. Through gigging with Graham Chambers and funkateers The Aliens, Cécile genuinely came into her own, adding extra dirt and street savvy playing to her slick style.
As a side-woman, she has backed or recorded with artists as diverse as Montreal Jubilation Choir, Ismael Isaac, Sister Sledge, Bernard Purdie, Syncop, Corneille, to name but a few. During its 6-year run, her original project Dibondoko, participated in many international festivals, including Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in 2004 and 2005, as well as Festival International Nuits d’Afrique where the band opened for both Manu Dibango and Youssou N’dour.
Behind the scenes, Cécile has mixed or produced several albums including the United Steel Workers of Montreal’s albums Broken Trucks and Bottles and Kerosene & Coal, Andre Kirchhoff’s debut album Nowhere and Main, as well as Dibondoko’s album Dibondoko. She currently plays with Tricia Foster with whom she cowrote and arranged several tracks on the album Commerciale, Lou Simon, and the Bisquit Blues Band.
Cécile is presently working on her debut solo album expected for January 2009.
Music Influences
J.C. Dook, Keb' Mo', Robert Cray, Tracy Chapman
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