June Christy Musician – All About Jazz
June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the […]
Anita O’Day Musician – All About Jazz
Born Anita Belle Colton in Chicago, Illinois on October 18, 1919, O’Day got her start as a teen. She eventually changed her name to O’Day and in the late 1930’s began singing in a jazz club called the Off-Beat, a popular hangout for musicians like band leader and drummer Gene Krupa. In 1941 she joined […]
Sheila Jordan Musician – All About Jazz
Sheila Jeanette Dawson, 18 November 1928, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first great influence was Charlie Parker and, indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather […]
Ian Shaw Musician – All About Jazz
“The best jazz vocalist we have” (Time Out), 2007 has been one of Ian Shaw’s most successful years. At the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards (where Shaw was nominated Best Vocalist), Shaw was invited to sing with the legendary Quincy Jones. His recent Linn album, “Drawn To All things, The Songs Of Joni Mitchell” has garnered […]