Dee James was born and raised in a small town in Illinois, and as a young child radio and music were a big influence growing up. Dee’s dad, a banjo picker, performed in a band and often would listen to radio stations, exposing her to music legends. As a young child she would write and record pretend newscasts on her cassette player dreaming of one day being on the radio.

After earning an Associate’s Degree in Radio/TV Broadcasting, Dee began her professional radio career in 1983. She was a disc jockey for an AM Country radio station, and later transitioned to News/Talk Radio.

In 2013, Dee completed her Bachelor's Degrees in History and Political Science from Southern Illinois University and moved to North Dakota, where she began hosting a local radio talk show. She also started her own band, DMJ, with her daughter Molly, and friend, Jeri — a lifelong dream. She performed in coffee houses, weddings, church groups, festivals, community events and other venues. She even performed at the Medora Musical!

In 2023, Dee was nominated to be inducted into The Dakota Musician’s Association Hall of Fame. The Dakota Musician's Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to paying honor and tribute to musicians or people involved in the art of music. She accepts the honor on behalf of all the talented musicians she is priviledged to represent while promoting live music in North Dakota.

Dee resides in Williston, North Dakota with her husband, Mark, daughter Molly and family, and her sheltie, Bear. She now continues her love of music within her business DMJ Productions.