Results for "Vocalist"

Isaac Hayes

Born: August 20, 1942

Isaac Lee Hayes (born August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee) is an actor, soul singer, Academy Award- winning songwriter, musician, and arranger. He voiced the character "Chef", a singing ladies' man and elementary school cook, on the animated sitcom South Park. In 1972, Hayes won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the film Shaft. Hayes became the first African American to win an Academy Award in a non-acting category. After Hattie McDaniel, James Baskett and Sidney Poitier, he became only the fourth performer of African descent to ever receive an Academy Award. He was also nominated in the Best Original Score category (for Shaft) as well

Ray Brown Jr.

Born: October 13, 1949

Born in New York City and raised in a family of musical royalty (the son of singer Ella Fitzgerald and legendary jazz bass player Ray Brown), Ray Brown, Jr. learned early to appreciate the beauty and artistry of music. Although the primary emphasis was jazz, Ray's heart was in rock and roll and rhythm and blues. The family migrated to California where Ray studied piano at the age of 10. At 14, drums became an extended musical passion, so dad arranged for young Ray to study with Bill Douglas and later with Chuck Flores in Los Angeles. The singing drummer began playing private parties, graduating into the world of playing gigs

Joanne Smith

Born: June 25, 1960

Joanne Smith is a versatile vocalist and entertainer with a passion for jazz. Joanne can rock the room with core reaching rhythm & blues, scorching pop and boot scooting country & western. The Joanne Smith Experience challenges you to stay seated when the sweet melding of the voice that’s thrilled Hotlanta is backed by her personally chosen four-piece band of some of Atlanta’s finest musicians. Joanne has opened for the great Norman Connors, The Staple Singers, Pieces of a Dream and performed with former Platter singer, Damon Shaun. “The Joanne Smith Experience” has a substantial Atlanta following, stirring shows and immense support

Chantal Chamberland

Born: December 1, 1965

Chantal Chamberland. The very name has a lovely musical lilt to it, so perhaps music has always been the destiny of this superbly skilled jazz vocalist. It has certainly always been the life-long passion of the Montreal-raised, Dundas, Ontario-based, Chamberland, and her new CD, The Other Woman, represents the full blossoming of her prodigious artistic talent. Out now via Universal Music Canada, the disc is Chantal’s fourth solo release. Her previous albums (2002’s This Is Our Time, 2004’s Serendipity Street and 2005’s Dripping Indigo ) served notice that this was an artist to watch

Anna Maria Jopek

Born: December 14, 1970

Vocalist, songwriter, improviser, a passionate visionary. Anna Maria Jopek’s style is a fusion of improvisation, Polish traditional sounds, and European classical music. Born into an artistic family – Anna Maria’s grandmother and father were accomplished singers, she was literally raised backstage – in concert venues and in the dressing rooms of legendary Polish folk group “Mazowsze”, where her parents performed. She was only three years old when she recorded a song for the Polish Radio. At the age of seven, she began her musical education in piano class, and at the age of twelve, she performed at the Warsaw Philharmonic

Roz Corral

Born: June 7, 1947

Combining a natural feel for jazz with an evocative interpretation of a lyric, Roz Corral offers a fresh approach to a song. This New York City-based singer makes her recording debut with Telling Tales, a combination of standards and lesser known entries beautifully arranged and sung, accompanied by a group of some of the finest young musicians in jazz. Corral is an excellent story teller and Telling Tales aptly describes the essence of her singing style. As the great jazz vocalist Mark Murphy puts it: "...Roz always goes to the heart of a song." In his liner notes, Chicago broadcaster/writer Neil Tesser has this to say: "She finds the heart of a song's message, as contained in the lyrics, then she finds the best way to convey that message musically, in a timbre adult, throaty, and knowing

Marissa Hansson

Born: August 13

Marissa’ Hansson's clear tone and expressive nature brings to new life the old standards that she fell in love with as a child. She creates a style that is reminiscent of old, with the depth of a contemporary performer. Marissa was the winner of the 2005 NATS Competition’s professional division.

Cathy Rocco

Singing with deep conviction, this Pittsburgh native began performing professionally at age 10 with her sisters. The Rocco Sisters toured and recorded for Sutra records. For the past 10 years, Cathy has focused on singing jazz. She enjoys interpreting a seamless blend of jazz, blues and pop material. On this recording, she is heard to the fine effect. In a combination of small and large group performances. Rocco packs warmth and power into some well known standards and contemporary pieces. Her new release You're Gonna Hear From Me on Resonance Records features piano and arrangements from Kuno Schmid and Tamir Hendelman with Dave Carpenter (bass), Vic Stevens (drums) and Michael Higgins (guitar).

Ashford & Simpson

Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in The Bronx, New York) are a successful husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists. They met in the choir of Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined another aspiring artist, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs "Let's Go Get Stoned" gave Ray Charles a number one U.S

Sylvia McEwen

Born: November

You could easily find yourself asking who is Sylvie? Having an Italian mother and Operatic English father, Sylvia attributes her vocal talent and strengths to her genes. “I grew up listening to a huge range of music including Italian Opera, Soul, Pop, and my first love: Jazz”. Sylvia has a wealth of singing experience to her credits and sites her love of Standards and Jazz/Funk artists such as George Bensons which has given her the motivation to pursue a professional career in Jazz. In the ever-changing world of music, she could quite possibly be seen as something of a chameleon in performance terms