MUSIC : 2 Talents Team Up to Play the Blues

STUDIO CITY — The music of Teresa James and Jodi Siegel, who play as a duet or as the front women of a hard-driving, blues-flavored band, expresses a point of view that blends folk roots with the sophistication of contemporary urban blues.

James, who sings the title song of the TV show “Step by Step,” and on the soundtrack of the show “Ellen,” recently recorded a track on an album by Kirk Whalum, a sax player known for his work with Whitney Houston.

Singer, guitarist and songwriter Siegel received a credit for a song recorded by blues artist Maria Muldaur and another on an upcoming album by rhythm and blues singer Tommy Ridgely, known for his late ‘50s hit “The Stroll.”

James and Siegel, who share the musical stage at Studio City Bar & Grill this weekend, share lead vocals and harmonize with each other, alternating instrumental solos on guitar and piano.

Born and raised in Houston and Chicago, respectively, James and Siegel did not meet until the 1990s, when both were well into their 30s and established as songwriters in Los Angeles.

James lives in Canyon Country with her husband, Terry Wilson, a bass player, and their two children, ages 3 and 7. James says she knew music was her calling while still in grammar school.

“I remember singing and playing guitar with my dad when I was 8,” says James, who had started classical piano lessons at 5. “And I knew right then that music was what I wanted to do with my life.”

In high school, James played guitar with an all-girl folk group. After a year of college, she began playing with bands in Houston and worked solo in lounges, accompanying her singing on the piano. In 1983 she met Wilson, who told her she should move to Los Angeles.

She did. In Los Angeles, she and Wilson married, and James joined a circle of singer-songwriters who helped further her career. She began writing, singing and playing with pianist and songwriter Danny Timms, who has recorded with Bonnie Raitt, and performing with singer, songwriter and producer Daniel Moore, who has recorded with Joe Cocker and Kim Carnes.

Although the two women had not met, James and Siegel’s musical paths crossed through their writing and performing partners. Both were playing on stage and writing songs with Moore and Timms.

“I first heard Teresa do one of my songs at a club called the Pelican’s Catch in Agoura,” Siegel says of a number called “Come Up and See Me Sometime,” which she had co-written with Timms.

“I thought, ‘God she sings that good,’ ” Siegel recalls. “She really sings my songs better than I do.”

“The more I listened to her,” Siegel says, “the more I realized we have similar musical approaches and come from similar places.”

The two women decided to begin performing together in 1994, both as a duo featuring James on piano and Siegel on guitar and as a band accompanied by electric bass (usually played by Terry Wilson) and drums (this weekend, it’s Tom Fillman).

Siegel’s guitar-playing prowess had won contests during her high school years in Chicago. At 19, she moved to Orange County, where she spent a year at Orange Coast College before devoting herself to music. A duet with singer-guitarist Will Brady lasted 10 years and produced a record album. After that, Siegel began concentrating on writing songs and last year moved to Los Angeles and began working with James.

Siegel, who calls herself divorced, single and happy about it, says her love of the blues helped focus her writing.

“In the blues,” Siegel says, “you can’t be Jimmy Reed, because he’s already sung his stuff. And I knew I wasn’t going to be a Stevie Ray Vaughn and dazzle people with my blues guitar, so I decided to write.”

Of her work with James, Siegel says: “We complement each other well. We’re sort of like a Sam & Dave sound. People say we make a nice contrast.”

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WHERE AND WHEN

What: Jodi Siegel and Teresa James.

Location: Studio City Bar and Grill, 11002 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

Hours: Show begins about 9:45 p.m.

Price: Admission is free; two-drink minimum.

Call: (818) 763-7912.