When renowned vocal impressionist and performance artist Jimmy James returns to San Diego May 4 for the first time in 16 years, he’s not coming alone – he’s bringing Cher, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Billie Holiday, Bette Davis, Eartha Kitt, Patsy Cline and Macy Gray along for his fun-filled show, The One & Many Voices of Jimmy James, at Martinis Above Fourth.

Fortunately for James, who has the uncanny ability to mimic each of the women, all the divas reside inside his head, and he won’t have to pony up any extra airfare.

The Gay & Lesbian Times caught up with James, as himself, to ask how he stumbled on his talent.

“I did it as a kid for fun,” James says. “My sister and I used to imitate commercials. And, I think where it started was I loved Cher so much and I wanted to sound just like her. So I would buy all of her records and I just wanted so badly to sound like Cher.”

Using his Cher impersonation as a building block, James set out to conquer the likes of Streisand and others – though he knew his limits.

“There were other singers, of course, that I never got a hold of, like Joni Mitchell – I never mastered that one,” he says. “I always want to say I can do Karen Carpenter, but it’s just an ongoing quest – some notes I can sound like Karen and some I can’t.”

As a youngster, James even tackled male personalities.

“I remember imitating Donny Osmond in science class singing ‘Puppy Love.’ And the staunch science teacher, I would always bring a smile to his face, and the class would want me to do my Donny Osmond impression,” he says. “And it was like, ‘Wow! I have some power here.’”

Making the impersonations pitch perfect has been an ongoing process, James says.

“What I did was I honed in and worked on my vocal impressions. I didn’t really do drag, so there wasn’t anything to really distract you. It was me, still painted like a prostitute, but I wasn’t really in drag,” he says jokingly. “I would record many of the shows and I would listen to them and the audience would let me know immediately if I’ve nailed it or not.”

As the diva landscape changes, so does James’ vocal skill – much like Madonna, he is constantly reinventing himself.

“You have the helium Madonna when she started out,” he says. “I like her more with a lower register; I heard a sneak preview of the other songs on the new album, and she’s back up to the helium sound, which is weird – I don’t know how she’s going to sing that live.”

Long before Madonna, another blond icon captivated audiences, and for years, proving equally charismatic, James made a name for himself impersonating Marilyn Monroe.

Unfortunately for fans, James retired Monroe from his repertoire in 1997. So, what would it take for him to bring Monroe out of retirement?

“Turning back the hands of time 10 years, bitch,” James quips. “I didn’t want to become a parody; I recreated Marilyn so beautifully and I wanted it to stay that way. If you’re going to start doing Marilyn when you’re 40, it’s just not going to be right. I’m proud of my ‘Marilyn years,’ because I knew when to stop.”

Of all the divas he performs, James favors Cher with “a little extra nudge,” but says each impersonation is vital to his performance.

“I love doing them all,” he says. “Whenever I do Judy Garland’s voice, it transforms the room in a certain way, and whenever I do Bette Davis, then it’s a hilarious thing that transforms the room in another way.”

James has struggled to make a legitimate name for himself, despite how the at-large entertainment industry views his type of performance art.

“The bottom line in this business is, look-a-likes never are really respected,” he says. “And even though I was more than a look-a-like, I was more than a sound-a-like – I was an artist at what I was doing, I was an actor. But, you’re never respected in the true, hardcore business.”

YouTube and MySpace, however, provided James a quick, easy forum for showcasing his talent.

“I think it’s very important,” James says of the Internet venues. “But I can tell you, in another way, for me it’s important that I get some feedback from the fans. Sometimes when you’re an artist you’re stuck in studios, and you do music and you love what you’re doing – and you put things out and you really don’t know [who is hearing or viewing it]. It’s nice to have people write back and say, ‘Oh my God, I love this song!’”

James has also added singer and songwriter to his entertainment portfolio with his hit single “Fashionista.”

Boy George even enlisted James’ aid in a duet, “Like U Do,” a few years back, and while it was never released as a single, James incorporates it into his live shows.

“That was awesome, because I’m a huge Boy George fan,” James says. “And, he called me up and said, ‘Girl, I’ve written up a song, got a duet for us to do.’ I was dumbfounded.”

Having mastered impersonating so many timeless and modern icons, James always looks to add to his impressive roster of impersonations – he already has his sights set on Amy Winehouse.

There is one test, though, a diva-in-training must pass – the ability to stand out in a crowd.

“The main thing that I am interested in is the sounds of voices; people with unique sounds is a thrill to me,” he says. “There’s a musicality to people’s voices that are unique, such as Cher, such as Streisand, such as Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, Diana Ross – they all have such a unique sound to them …”

“It’s very tough in this day and time. I remember I was in a store listening to a song and wondering, ‘Is that J. Lo? Is that Britney?’ I couldn’t tell! A lot of female vocals in pop music are sounding the same.”

See Jimmy James live Sunday, May 4 at Martinis Above Fourth for a 6 p.m. dinner show or 9 p.m. cocktail show. Tickets are $25 each; three-course prix-fixe dinner and beverages are in addition to ticket price. Visit www.martinisabovefourth.com or call 619.400.4500 for details