A highly respected session player, Stephen Dees has played bass and sung for Hall Oates, Tony Carey, Pat Travers, and Todd Rundgren. Recording his debut solo album, Hip Shot, produced by Daryl Hall, in 1977, he joined with ex-Santana and Journey drummer Michael Shrieve to form Novo Combo in the early '80s. The group's albums -- Novo Combo, released in 1981, and Animation Generation, released a year later -- included two hits, Up Periscope and City Bound, co-written with Desmond Child, and a Top Five MTV video, Animation Generation. In 1990 and 1991, he toured with Lonesome Dave's Foghat.

Dees has performed in a duo, the Bandeees, that he shares with his wife, Patricia Ann Dees, since the mid-'90s. Releasing their debut album, They Fly Around, in 1998, they followed it with Big Day a year later. They reached their peak with two impressive albums -- Saffon and Three -- in 2002. At the Songwriters Showcase of America, they received awards for Best Vocal Performance From a Duo, Best Writing Team, and Best Vocal Group. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi