Genre: Jazz
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
One of the best jazz singers of her generation, Dee Dee Bridgewater (who was married to trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater in the early '70s) had to move to France to find herself. She performed in Michigan during the 1960s and toured the Soviet Union in 1969 with the University of Illinois Big Band. She sang with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
Singer/pianist Diana Krall got her musical education when she was growing up in Nanaimo, British Columbia, from the classical piano lessons she began at age four and in her high school jazz band, but mostly from her father, a stride piano player with an extensive record collection. "I think Dad has every recording Fats Waller ever made," she... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
Singer/pianist Diana Krall got her musical education when she was growing up in Nanaimo, British Columbia, from the classical piano lessons she began at age four and in her high school jazz band, but mostly from her father, a stride piano player with an extensive record collection. "I think Dad has every recording Fats Waller ever made," she... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
Diane Schuur, who has often been on the periphery of jazz, has the potential to be an important jazz singer although she still includes a large dose of pop tunes in her repertoire. Early in her career she had the tendency to screech in her upper register, but with maturity that flaw has largely disappeared and she has become a very impressive... [+] Read More
Genre: Jazz
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Ithamara Koorax became a major name in Brazilian pop-jazz in the 1990s. The singer comes from a family of Polish Jews, who fled Europe during World War II. Born in Rio in 1965, Koorax was only a child when she began studying classical music. But when she reached adulthood, Koorax realized that Brazilian pop-jazz would... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
One of the more impressive jazz singers to emerge in the '90s, Karrin Allyson is a great scat singer but also highly expressive on ballads. Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Allyson grew up in Omaha, NE and the San Francisco Bay Area -- during which time she began taking classical piano lessons, in addition to performing as a folk singer and in an... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
Linda Eder was perhaps the most popular new interpreter of theatrical songs to emerge during the '90s. A disciple of Barbra Streisand early on, Eder gradually forged her own vocal style, and branched out from show tunes to include pop standards, light swing, and adult contemporary balladry in her repertoire. As a stage actress, Eder worked... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets -- and even hosting her own television variety program -- she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Born February... [+] Read More
Genre: Vocal-Easy Listening
Decades Active: 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s
Possessor of one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century, Sarah Vaughan ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of female jazz singers. She often gave the impression that with her wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and wide expressive abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice.... [+] Read More