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Tracey Whitney

A former Ray Charles “Raelette”, Tracey Whitney is a singer/songwriter/producer who performs her own brand of classic jazz and sophisticated soul.

About Me

A former “Raelette” with the legendary Ray Charles, Tracey Whitney began performing with The Whitney Family at age 11. After touring with Ray, she spent 5 years singing solo in Japan. Since relocating to Albuquerque in 2012, she’s been thrilling audiences throughout the city with her unique brand of classic jazz and sophisticated soul. In addition to concerts including The Santa Fe Bandstand, St John’s College “Music on the Hill,” Women’s Voices and Ladies Sing The Blues at the Albuquerque Museum, Tracey has opened concerts for contemporary jazz stars Marc Antoine, Euge Groove, Will Donato, Darren Rahn and Julian Vaughn. Under her Babydoll Entertainment label, she released her third indie CD “Live At The Outpost Performance Space” (May 2017), a New Mexico Music Awards nominee for “Best Vocal Performance” (she was also a featured performer for the ceremony), and she was nominated for the ABQ-based Weekly Alibi’s 2017 “Best of the Burque Music Showcase.” Tracey serves as President of the Board of Directors of the African American Performing Arts Center Foundation (AAPAC is a 300-seat state of the art concert hall with a 2700 Sq Ft exhibit space), and was recently elected President of the Albuquerque Musicians' Association/Local 618 of the American Federation of Musicians. She’s a voting member of the Los Angeles chapter of NARAS (the GRAMMY Awards), a contributing writer to Smooth Jazz magazine, and an Upper Merit graduate of the London-based The Voice College, with a Higher Certificate in Contemporary Vocal Teaching: Children & Adolescents. For more on her background, visit www.babydollentertainment.com

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it rocks my soul. I was first exposed to jazz by my mother when I was a little girl, and I've been hooked ever since... I toured with Ray Charles as a Raelette. The best (and first) concert I ever attended was Watts Stax. The first jazz record I bought was Booker T. & The MG's "Green Onions" when I was in elementary school. My advice to new listeners is go with the flow.