Musician. Born in Harlem, New York, she was an excellent pianist, songwriter and an outstanding jazz singer known as the painter of song. She began her career in the 1940s, playing piano in the New York club scene and went on to sing with the likes of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie. She recorded over 60 albums, was nominated for 7 Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Female, Grammy Awards and received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 1994. From the 1961 to 1989, she toured the world performing at all the Jazz Festivals. She also appeared in feature films to include "The Square Jungle" (1956), "The Subterraneans" (1960), "Hotel" (1967) and "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling" (1986). In 1991, she was forced to retire due to illness and died of a stroke in Beverly Hills, California.
Musician. Born in Harlem, New York, she was an excellent pianist, songwriter and an outstanding jazz singer known as the painter of song. She began her career in the 1940s, playing piano in the New York club scene and went on to sing with the likes of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie. She recorded over 60 albums, was nominated for 7 Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Female, Grammy Awards and received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 1994. From the 1961 to 1989, she toured the world performing at all the Jazz Festivals. She also appeared in feature films to include "The Square Jungle" (1956), "The Subterraneans" (1960), "Hotel" (1967) and "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling" (1986). In 1991, she was forced to retire due to illness and died of a stroke in Beverly Hills, California.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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