Dee Dee Bridgewater

Few entertainers have ever commanded such depth of artistry in every medium. Fewer still have been rewarded with Broadway’s coveted Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Wiz), nominated for the London theater’s West End equivalent, the Laurence Oliver Award (Best Actress in a Musical Lady Day), won three Grammy® Awards (1998’s Best Jazz Vocal Performance and Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal for "Cottontail" Slide Hampton, arranger "Dear Ella", and Best Jazz Vocal Album for "Eleanora Fagan: To Billie with Love from Dee Dee, 2011), and France’s 1998 top honor Victoire de la Musique (Best Jazz Vocal Album), as well as induction into France's Haute Conseil de la Francophonie, Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, and Officier des Arts et des Lettres.

Bridgewater is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, ASCAP Champion, Memphis Music Hall of Fame Inductee and recipient of three Honorary Doctorates (Michigan State University, Berklee College of Music, and Elmhurst University). For decades she served as the host of NPR's "JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater," produced by WBGO. She also serves as a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization and founded the non- profit program, The Woodshed Network for self-identifying women in jazz.

Denise "Dee Dee" Garrett was born in Memphis on May 27, 1950 to parents Marion Garrett (nee Holliday) and Matthew Garrett. Her father was a trumpeter, educator and radio host "Matt the Platter Cat" on famed WDIA. Exposed to jazz at an early age, Dee Dee grew up with the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley, among others. When the family relocated to Flint, MI, Dee Dee continued to listen to WDIA, maintaining her connection to her birthplace, which later inspired her critically acclaimed 2017 self-produced release "Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready" (DDB Records/Sony Masterworks).

By the age of 16 she was in an R& B vocal trio that would eventually be scouted by Motown Records. The family had relocated to Clinton, Michigan and naturally an audition with nearby Motown was inevitable. But the label turned her down, not for her lack of talent, but because of the groups’ young age. When Dee Dee was 18 years old, she attended Michigan State University and joined saxophonist Andy Courtridge's group. In 1969, she transferred to the University of Illinois, where her exception talent was tapped by John Garvey, the University's Jazz Band Director, who hired her for a tour. In 1970, Denise met and married hard bop trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater (Horace Silver, Max Roach, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, The Loud Minority). Together, the newlyweds relocated to New York.

Later that same year, Dee Dee made her phenomenal New York debut as the lead vocalist for the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, still considered one of the premier jazz orchestras of all time. During her New York years, Dee Dee performed in concerts and on recordings with such giants as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach and Roland Kirk, Norman Connors, Stanley Clarke and Frank Foster’s "Loud Minority."

In 1974, Bridgewater won the role of Glinda the Good Witch in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. Her standout performance earned her a coveted Tony Award and launched her international stage, film and television career. This began a long line of awards and accolades as well as opportunities to work in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris and in London where she garnered the coveted “Laurence Olivier” Award nomination as Best Actress for her tour de force portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in Stephen Stahl’s Lady Day. Performing the lead in equally demanding acting/singing roles as Sophisticated Ladies, CosmopolitanGreetings, Black Ballad, Carmen Jazz and the musical Cabaret (the first black actress to star as Sally Bowles), she secured her reputation as a consummate entertainer. Bridgewater is featured on soundtracks and voice over for film and television projects worldwide. Notable appearances and soundtracks include The Brother from Another Planet, The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, Cosmopolitan Greetings, Cabaret, Sophisticated Ladies, Coffy, Monster-in-Law and guest appearances on numerous television programs.

In 1976 she landed her first recording contract with Atlantic Records. Her first release was simply entitled "Dee Dee Bridgewater." "Just Family,” (’77 Elektra), produced by Stanley Clarke, featuredrevered musicians with jazz backgrounds, including Chick Corea, George Duke, Airto Moreira, and Bobby Lyle. While this album, and Bridgewater's subsequent releases "Bad for Me" and her eponymous 1980 release sit firmly outside the jazz canon, they have become fan favorites and established Bridgewater as a multi-genre artist. When Bridgewater fulfilled her contract, Bridgewater was determined to focus her talent and again explore her jazz roots. She returned to musical theatre with the touring production Sophisticated Ladies, alongside Gregory Hines, Paula Kelly, Hinton Battle, Judity Jamison, and a talented cast. It was amidst their European tour that Bridgewater would forge a connection with France, which would be her home for over twenty years.

At the conclusion of Sophisticated Ladies, Bridgewater began performing in Paris clubs, establishing herself as a beloved and respected talent. France took note and Dee Dee was offered the starring role of Billie Holiday in the theatrical production "Lady Day" in 1986, again earning rave reviews. Bridgewater learned the entire play in French, delivering a performance that garnered critical and public acclaim. A West End production was mounted in London for which Bridgewater was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award, that country's highest honor. In 1987, Bridgewater released her first album recorded in France. Grammy-nominated "Live in Paris," marked her return to jazz.

1989 brought the highly acclaimed album "Victim of Love," which features a duet with music icon Ray Charles. Dee Dee appeared with Archie Shepp in the musical production "Black Ballad" (1991 and 1992). Bridgewater released a live album titled "In Montreux." Bridgewater began self-producing with her 1993 album "Keeping Tradition" (Polydor/Verve) and created DDB Records in 2006 when she signed with the Universal Music Group as a producer (Bridgewater produces all of her own CDs). Horace Silver, a friend and collaborator, contributed his talent and songs to Bridgewater's 1995 Grammy-nominated release, "Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver." In 1997, Dee Dee's "Dear Ella," a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, featuring arrangements by Slide Hampton, John Clayton and Cecil Bridgewater, as well as a duet with Kenny Burrell and a standout big band. The album garnered worldwide audience and won 2 Grammy awards and marked the beginning of Bridgewater's work with engineering legends Al Schmitt and Doug Sax. This release was followed by “Live at Yoshi’s” (2000) and "This Is New."(2002) both on Verve Records. Bridgewater.

Dee Dee's 2005 self-produced Grammy-nominated album "J'ai Deux Amours" was a love letter to France. It was also the first release on Bridgewater's own DDB Records. The recording was a re-envisioning of beloved French songs and revered artists, such as Michel Legrand, Edith Piaf and perhaps the greatest expat, Josephine Baker. Her Grammy- nominated 2007 release “Red Earth: A Malian Journey,” (DDB Records) is an ode to Mali and Memphis. Singing in the spirit that draws on her African ancestry and with reverence for jazz tradition at its best, Dee Dee exudes the artistic depth she is revered for around the world. Recorded in Mali and featuring some of its most respected artists, this ambitious concept recording explores musical legacy of Malian and its influences on jazz and blues.

For her 2010 Grammy Award winning release, "Eleanora Fagan (1917-1959)": To Billie With Love From Dee Dee" (DDB Records), Bridgewater honors an iconic jazz figure, Billie Holiday. It was recorded in tandem with Bridgewater's reprisal of her role in an off-Broadway production of "Lady Day." Featuring renown musicians Edsel Gomez, Christian McBride, James Carter and Lewis Nash, the album was a smashing success.

“This album is my way of paying my respect to a vocalist who made it possible for singers like me to carve out a career for ourselves,” says Bridgewater, who performed the role of Holiday in the triumphant theatrical production, Lady Day�"based on the singer’s autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues�"staged in Paris and London in 1986 and 1987. “I wanted Eleanora Fagan to be something different: more modern and a celebration, not a [recording] that goes dark and sullen and maudlin. I wanted the album to be joyful.”

Instead of playing it safe and recreating her performance in Lady Day, on "Eleanora Fagan," Bridgewater reacquaints herself with Holiday, shining a new ray of love on the often-misunderstood jazz icon. “I wanted the record to be a collection that would not be like the music of the show,” she says. That philosophy is in keeping with Bridgewater’s approach to all of her projects: “I want to move forward, just as I’ve done with each of my albums. To not go backwards, but progress. Constantly.”

In 2015, Bridgewater released "Dee Dee's Feathers" (DDB Records/Okeh/Masterworks) in collaboration with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Her connection with New Orleans and the rich history, connection to France and Africa, jazz and blues was a natural fit. The uplifting, get-out-of-your-seat tunes were a harmonious blend of Bridgewater's big band expertise and her gift for reshaping and reinterpreting beloved tunes into unique and original renditions. Dee Dee returned to her roots in 2017 with "Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready." Selecting favorite songs from her childhood spent listening to WDIA, Bridgewater has shared traveled the globe with this joyful and impactful repertoire.

Dee Dee Bridgewater continues touring worldwide, recording and advancing her philanthropic and activism efforts. She is a mother of three and grandmother of three.

Awards

Grammy Awards and Nominations: "Live in Paris" - Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female, Nominated (1989) "Keeping Tradition" - Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Nominated (1994) "Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver" - Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Nominated (1995) "Dear Ella" - Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Winner (1997) "Live at Yoshi's" - Best Jazz Vocal Album, Nominated (2000) "J'ai Deux Amours" - Best Jazz Vocal Album, Nominated (2005) "Red Earth - A Malian Journey" - Best Jazz Vocal Album, Nominated (2007) "Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee" - Best Jazz Vocal Album, Winner (2010) Honorary Doctorates: Honorary Doctor of Music, University of Michigan, 2012 Honorary Doctor of Music, Berklee College of Music, 2015 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Elmhurst University, 2022 Awards and Honors: First American to be inducted into the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Award (France) Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, The Wiz, 1975 Laurence Olivier Award Nomination, 1987 AUDELCO Award, Outstanding Performance in a Musical-Female, LADY DAY, 2014 ASCAP Foundation Champion Award, 2017 NEA Jazz Masters, 2017 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, 2018 Thelonious Monk Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Maria Fisher Founder's Award, 2018 German Jazz Trophy [de] - A Life for Jazz Award, Stuttgart Jazz Open, 2019 Memphis Music Hall of Fame, 2019