Results for "Vocalist"

Tom Wopat

Born: September 9, 1951

All it takes is a phrase or two from Tom Wopat's warm, engaging baritone to trigger the desire to hear more. And the more one listens, the better it gets — from the way he finds the heart of a song’s story to his lyrical phrasing and his gently swinging, jazz-infused rhythms. That’s a large handful of uniquely appealing qualities, and they’re all over the fourteen utterly captivating tunes on I’ve Got Your Number. Tom applies his far-ranging interpretive skills to discovering new, intriguing musical twists in such Great American Songbook classics as “The Good Life,” “The Folks Who Live On The Hill,” “Call Me,” “Born To Be Blue,” “I Won’t Dance” and, of course, the title track

Wesla Whitfield

Born: September 15, 1947

Wesla Whitfield is a remarkable singer, with a deep love for that rich storehouse of musical treasures often identified as The Great American Popular Songbook. Wesla has been developing her skills and learning her demanding craft for a number of years - by her own estimate, it's been ever since she "knew at age two-and-a-half that I would grow up to be a singer." A picture of Wesla at a Piano Her sound and approach would seem to place her somewhere in the intriguing area that borders on both jazz and that aspect of pop music which draws its material largely from the great standards and neglected gems of such as Cole Porter and Irving Berlin and Rodgers and Hart. Wesla Whitfield was born in Santa Maria, California

Ty Stephens

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ty Stephens is an award-winning singer/songwriter, entertainer and recording artist (Grand Prize Winner Jazzmobile/Anheuser-Busch Solo Jazz Vocalist Competition, NYC, 2006, and First Place Winner R&B/Blues Category of the International Songwriting Competition 2002 for "Somethin' Strange"), co-writer and original cast of "From My Hometown," co-writer/production, choreographer and star of the long-running "Shades Of Harlem" revue show, and co-writer/production, choreographer and currently starring in the new off-Broadway hit "On Kentucky Avenue" (Songbirds Unlimited Productions/StepForward Entertainment). He has appeared on Broadway in the original productions of "Sophisticated Ladies" and "Marilyn, An American Fable"

Carla Helmbrecht

Grammy-nominated singer/song-writer, Carla Helmbrecht, began her love affair with music at the age of eight. A native of Wisconsin, Carla was raised in a large music- loving family and had an inherent desire for music. It was her father who introduced her to jazz, and it was not uncommon for the entire family to spend endless evenings making music. By age 13, she was singing professionally and continued her musical studies through high school and college. Early influences included Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Julie London, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, and Blossom Dearie. Her dual career in music and Speech Pathology has given her a unique understanding of the balance between vocal efficiency and expression in this fragile instrument – the voice. Carla has enjoyed living in San Francisco since 1997 – performing, recording, and teaching

Betty Buckley

Born: July 3, 1947

Betty Buckley, Tony award winning American theatre, Film, TV star and singer, was born on Big Spring, Texas and brought up in Fort Worth. She is the daughter of Betty Bob, a dancer and a journalist and Ernest Lynn Buckley, a retired lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force and former dean of University of Texas at Arlington and South Dakota State University. When she was a student at Texas Christian University she won the title "Miss Fort Worth" in 1966 and she was the runner up in the Miss Texas contest. After she got her degree from Texas Christian University she worked as a reporter for the Fort Worth Newspaper. Buckley made her Broadway debut in 1776 in 1969 and has been called "The Voice of Broadway" by New York Magazine

Tish Oney

Dr. Tish Oney, international performing/recording artist, arranger, and composer currently tours as a symphony pops and big band soloist, jazz vocalist, and artist-in-residence. Oney has arranged several hundred pieces for jazz combo including hits from the Great American Songbook as well as her originals and is frequently commissioned to write, arrange, and perform unique concert presentations. Tish recently released her fifth major recording project featuring John Chiodini (guitar), Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Ray Brinker (drums). This album, The Best Part (on the Blujazz label) serves as a compilation of new original songs by contemporary jazz composers, including three never-before-heard songs co-written by jazz diva Peggy Lee

David Basse

Born: November 14, 1954

David Basse began his professional music career in 1969, when his parents trusted the neighbors to keep an eye on him while they vacationed in California. Basse seized that opportunity and turned it into a six-night gig at a local cocktail lounge with a band named “Carroll Lee and the Moonlighters”. This gig was the first small step in mastering many styles of drumming and subsequently learning to sing from the drumset. He stayed with Lee for the next three years, earning his way through high school and onto the road at age 17. In 1974, he landed in Kansas City, after gigs in Denver, Nashville, New Orleans, Winnipeg, a trip to LA and various teenaged forays throughout the United States. In August of 1982 David Basse began his focus on jazz

Terrance Simien

Ben E. King

Born: September 28, 1938

Possessing one of the most elegant baritone voices ever, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alumnus Ben E. King’s imprint on the musical landscape is so indelible that an optimum barometer has been set for countless aspiring performers. From a youngster in Harlem to an embraceable solo artist, Ben E. King’s contributions to the pop music spectrum are incalculable.  Born Benjamin Earl Nelson, in Henderson, North Carolina, young Ben’s family relocated to New York City when he was at the tender age of nine. While attending Jr. High School, he discovered a unique talent: singing harmony in a group with other gifted youngsters

Anita Baker

Born: January 26, 1958

Anita Baker is a sophisticated jazz vocalist with a string of hits from the late 1980s and early 1990s. A six time Grammy winner, in 1994, with success assured, Baker cut back her activities to focus on home and motherhood, in the process revealing something of the intense difficulties she faced during her own youth. Then, after a ten year hiatus from the business, she made a triumphal return with a new album that met with critical acclaim. She was born on January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio, and grew up in Detroit's inner city. Her birth mother, who was only 16 when Anita was born, abandoned her, leaving her in the care of a woman who has been variously described as a friend and as a relative; this woman, Mary Lewis, became her foster mother