From cafes, to theaters, to a quiet evening at home, jazz continues to inspire and heavily influence our lives. The most eclectic and, it could be argued, inventive of all the music genres, jazz has taken many forms through the ages. And unlike other genres, it has been dominated, in equal part both by men, and by women.
So who were they, exactly? These ladies with their godly voices, who can still be heard on radios and Spotify playlists today? Where did they come from, and what was life like, as a jazz queen?
Below, we will look at the women who dominated the jazz scene from the “beginning” of the genre in the 1940s until today.
Ella Fitzgerald
Nicknamed “The First Lady of Song”, Ella Fitzgerald still captivates the hearts of many listeners today. Born on April 25 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, Ella Jane Fitzgerald first rose to prominence during an amateur talent competition at the Apollo Theater in New York, in 1934. Fitzgerald, who was 17 at the time, caught the attention of the judges, and won first prize.
There followed a number of successful collaborations, and the new decade saw Fitzgerald singing with the infamous Chick Webb Band. However, despite her stupendous talent, it would be another 20 years before her career truly skyrocketed. In 1954, Fitzgerald’s impresario, Norman Granz, tired of seeing the artist struggle for such little fame, founded the record label Verve with the sole purpose of promoting Fitzgerald.
Thanks to her beautiful improvisation skills, in 1958, Fitzgerald went on to become the first African-American to win a Grammy (of which she would win 12 more). Her career spanned over 6 decades, and ended with her final performance in 1993. Fitzgerald died three years later, in 1996.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday, nee Eleanora Fagan Gough, is one of the most infamous names in jazz and swing, despite the fact that her career ended more than sixty years ago. It’s safe to say that Holiday was the first crooner of female jazz, thanks to her signature deep, melancholy voice, and her ubiquitous white gardenias.
Holiday, who was nicknamed Lady Day by her friend Lester Young, sought her debut on the Harlem music scene in her adolescence. There, she caught the eye of producer John Hammond, changed her name, and signed her first contract in 1935.
She rapidly captured the attention of the public with her deep voice, which gave everything she sang a note of intimacy. Unfortunately, by the late 1940s, Holliday found herself in legal trouble over the possession of narcotics. Still, while she managed to bounce back from that, she never quit her bad habits and died an untimely death in 1959, from cirrhosis.
Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan
When talking about jazz female greats, many speak of the “Holy Trinity”, composed of Holiday, Fitzgerald, and Vaughan, and with good reason. Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan, sometimes referred to as The Divine One, was well-known for her deep, full-bodied voice that could carry a love ballad, just as easily as it did a swing groove.
There’s something incredibly mournful and esoteric about Vaughan’s voice. Tunes like “Black Coffee” or “Body & Soul” continue to rank as some of the best heartbreak/love songs today.
Born in New Jersey in 1924, Vaughan began singing with various acts such as Billy Eckstine and Earl Hines in her youth, before going solo in the late 1940s. In 1978, her album “How Long Has This Been Going On?”, which was nominated for a Grammy award.
Vaughan continued singing right up to her death from lung cancer, in 1990.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone’s bold, honest voice can still be heard on radios and movie soundtracks today. Known as The High Priestess of Soul, Simone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon) on February 21st 1933, and as a musician, was always difficult to pinpoint to any one genre. Her music combined elements of jazz, swing, R&B, blues, gospel, and folk, among others. She even drew inspiration from classical music, particularly from composer J. S. Bach.
By Simone’s own admission, this versatility meant “[she] was appreciated across the board”. Aside from her music career, Simone was also a civil rights activist. She died of breast cancer at her home near Marseille, in 2003.
Peggy Lee
Born Norma Deloris Egstrom on May 26th 1920, Peggy Lee was more than just a jazz musician, she had this entire persona. To the public, Lee was known for her chill attitude and laid back style, which can also be heard on her most famous hit single, “Fever”.
She sang with various consecrated jazz bands in the 1940s, before making her name as a solo artist. Her voice played around the concept of “less is more”, and conquered the public through its remarkable sensuality, and minimalistic style.
Lee worked with numerous film productions, recording soundtracks, and even acting in some movies. She continued to perform despite numerous health complications (sometimes using a wheelchair), before she died from diabetes complications in 2003.
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washnigton was known among jazz lovers for her clear diction and her incomparable way of delivering a line. Her voice was at once cheeky and powerful, commanding attention whenever Washington took the stage.
Born Ruth Lee Jones on August 29 1924, Washington was heavily influenced by fellow jazz artist Bessie Smith, and was known as one of the most popular Black female performers of the 1950s. She blended together a variety of genres, like jazz, blues and pop, and nicknamed herself “The Queen of Blues”.
Unfortunately, her career was cut short when she died tragically at the age of 39 from an overdose, in 1963.
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is definitely the youngest name on this list, but we think its well-deserved. The daughter of renowned sitar master Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones (born in 1979) first rose to prominence in 2002, with the album “Come Away With Me”.
The tune “Don’t Know Why” rapidly cemented her place as one of the best jazz voices of her generation, thanks to her soft delivery, and slight country twist to her voice.
Bessie Smith
We’ve had the youngest, now we move on to the oldest - Bessie Smith, nicknamed The Empress of Blues, born in 1894, was one of the key figures in the early evolution of jazz music.
She started singing early on in life, when her parents died, and Smith and her siblings had to survive by performing on the streets. She rose to great prominence in the 20s and 30s (the true Jazz Age), but her career was cut short when she was killed in a car crash in 1937.
Carmen McRae
Born (in 1922) and raised around the Harlem music scene, Carmen McRae was one of the most influential voices on the jazz scene of the 20th century.
McRae was deeply inspired by artist Billie Holiday, whom she met in 1939, when McRae was only 17. McRae began her career by penning a song, “Dream of Life”, which Holiday recorded that same year.
McRae was known for her somewhat ironic, yet soft and sensitive interpretation, and became a powerful voice in her own right. She died in 1994, after stroke complications.
Anita O’Day
Born Anita Colton in Kansas City, Anita O’Day definitely had one of the most colorful lives on the music scene of that time. While many recognize her as one of the most influential voices in jazz today, she was known in her youth as the Jezebel of Jazz, due to her involvement with narcotics.
Her singing style was highly dynamic and engaging, and her music stood out due to the lack of vibrato in her voice (the result of a tonsillectomy in her childhood). O’Day was a highly prolific jazz singer, known for her rhythmic delivery. She died, at age 97, after falling ill with pneumonia.
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