Dinah Washington (Ruth Lee Jones) ()
Dinah Washington, legendary singer and ‘Queen of the Blues,’ was born Ruth Lee Jones on August 29, Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama she moved with her family to Chicago as a young child.
Music was in Washington’s family, her mother was a pianist in St. Luke’s Baptist Church, and from a young age, Washington sang gospel and played piano with her church choir. Influenced by other female singers such as Billie Holiday, Washington began to take an interest in blues music and started playing in local clubs in Chicago. At the age of 18, Washington joined Lionel Hampton’s band and a year later she also signed with Keynote Records, releasing her first hit “Evil Gal Blues” under the name Dinah Washington. Washington was never to record any of her gospel music, despite her obvious talent for it, believing that the secular world of professional music should be kept apart from the spiritual.
Washington’s penetrating and heartfelt voice ensured her success and, having moved to Mercury Records in , she enjoyed a string of hits of the R&B charts, including “Baby Get Lost” (No. 1, ) and “Trouble in Mind” (No. 4, ). In , she released “What a Diff’rence a Da
Washington, Dinah –
Vocalist
With Lionel Hampton
Embarked On Solo Career
Recorded Jazz Material
Broke Into Pop Market
Selected discography
Sources
Known as The Queen or Miss D, vocalist Dinah Washington emerged one of the most versatile cross-over artists of the post World Warera. Her gospel-trainedvoice-noted for its rhythmical precision and tonal clarity&#x;performed blues, jazz, and ballads with equal authority. Arnold Shaw, in his book Honkers and Shouters: Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues, stated She had a flutelike voice, sinuous, caressing, and penetrating. Master of all devices of the blues and gospel shadings--the bent notes, the broken notes, the slides, the anticipations, and the behind-the-beat notes&#x;she handled them with intensity that came from her early church training. Between and Washington made over sides with the Mercury label, recordings that reveal her diversity and popular acclaim. Renown for her offstage brashness and erratic behavior, Washington spent these years struggling to maintain a successful music career while overcoming the affects of numerous marriages and sporadic crash dieting. Until her death in sh
Dinah Washington Biography
Dinah Washington
(Ruth Lee Jones)singer
Born: 8/29/
Birthplace: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Known for her gritty vocal style, the beloved but controversial singer was at home with R&B, blues, jazz, and middle-of-the-road pop. Washington was raised in Chicago where she played the piano and directed her church choir. At age 15, she began performing in nightclubs, joining Lionel Hampton's band in Hampton claims he gave her the name Dinah Washington. While with the band she had her first hit, “Evil Gal Blues.” After she went solo and had a string of hits in the R&B charts, at the same time recording many straight jazz sessions, most memorably with Clifford Brown, Cannonball Adderley, and Clark Terry. She had a huge influence on R&B and jazz singers who followed her, notably Nancy Wilson, Esther Phillips, and Diane Schuur. Her breakthrough into the mainstream pop market came in with “What a Diff'rence a Day Makes.” For the rest of her career she concentrated on singing ballads backed by lush orchestrations, a move that drew fire from critics disappointed with her changeover to pop. Seven times married and struggling with weight problems, the
Dinah Washington Singer and pianist Dinah Washington () was one of the most popular African American recording artists of the s and was often called the "Queen of the Blues." Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed in a variety of styles, including pop, rhythm and blues (R&B), and country. Between and , she had 27 Top Ten hits on the R&B and Pop charts. Her signature interpretations of the songs "Unforgettable" and "What a Difference a Day Makes" are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Dinah Washington was born Ruth Lee Jones on August 29, , in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County. Her mother, Asalea Williams, who would later change her name to Alice, sang and played piano at Tuscaloosa's historic Elizabeth Baptist Church near their home on 24th Street. Her father, Ollie Jones, a laborer, worked for the Kaul Lumber Company, one of Tuscaloosa's most prominent employers.
When Ruth Lee was four years old, her father moved the family to Chicago to escape Tuscaloosa's increasing Ku Klux Klan activity. He took a job as a roofer, and Asalea joined the music ministry at St. Luke's Baptist Church. She also taught her daughter to play piano and sing. Young Ruth proved a quick study and joine
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