5 Most Remarkable Female Jazz Singers

5 Most Remarkable Female Jazz Singers

The jazz scene has always been rich in female singers. This genre gave us some of the best performers and female songwriters of all time. Here are five of them.

Ever since the birth of jazz in the early 20th century, women in it were a rare exception. This world has immediately become man-dominated. I mean, what wasn’t a man-dominated world in the past century? Anyway, the majority of people who listened or performed jazz were men. Yet, every now and again a brave, talented woman would enter the jazz scene and blow everyone’s mind away. In particular, one jazz domain has always been blessed with a female presence. Jazz vocal was something that a rare man could do as well as all female vocalists. Therefore, most women in jazz are remembered for their beautiful, strong voices and vibrant personalities. Let’s see five most remarkable female jazz singers of all time.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)

Ella Fitzgerald’s career in jazz was nothing less but remarkable. Fitzgerald started her official career as early as at 16 years old. Although, she had been performing on the stages of Harlem even earlier than that. At first, she caused quite a bit of confusion among the fellow musicians. On the one hand, her talent and strong voice were more than obvious. On the other hand, she was a rare case of being ‘the diamond in the rough’ due to her young age, lack of experience or formal musical education. Yet, the people around Fitzgerald believed in her. The rest is history.

Lady Ella became the most recognized and praised jazz singer of all time. She was able to combine rare sensitivity in her voice with rare techniques. In the mid-fifties, her career skyrocketed, making her the one and only Queen of Jazz of all time.

Billie Holiday (1915-1959)

There was something about Billie Holiday’s voice that made you stop in your tracks and listen. Many were saying that Holiday is not particularly gifted in the voice department. Let them say. It never played a big role to Billie Holiday. She has a unique way of communicating songs to the audience. She didn’t need to hit those high notes or strain her voice. She was always soft speaking, even when singing dramatic, deeply emotional songs. Her delivery, improvisation, and ability to communicate emotions with her tone, won over the crowds right away.

Billie Holiday, also known as Lady Day, never forgot where she came from or what her mission in life was. She used her fame and platform to speak up for all the African Americans who faced injustice in the early 20th century. We recommend you contacting essayshark company writers for further reading on Lady Day’s political stand in her career. Holiday’s political agenda served as a common theme in many of her songs.

Nina Simone (1933-2003)

Nina Simone always knew she wanted to be in the music industry. Although first, she hoped to become a concert pianist, life intervened. Faced with harsh racism in the field of classical music, Simone chose the alternative way to the music scene. After graduating from her music college, she started performing in nightclubs. Simone often sang blues, folk, and, of

course, jazz while accompanying herself on the piano. By the mid-fifties, she was already recording multiple music albums. It was hard to pass by such a talent.

Simone’s songs, like ‘I Put a Spell on You,’ ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,’ among many others, have become the true classics of today’s world.

Peggy Lee (1920-2002)

You will never mistake Peggy Lee’s voice and singing style for anyone else’s. She has her very specific and laidback performing voice. It was often different from the rest of the jazz singers at the time. Peggy Lee started her career in jazz in the 1940s. Yet, it was only in the fifties when she gained popularity in her solo career. The later fifties gave the world some of her greatest hit songs, among which are ‘Fever’ and ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’

Peggy Lee worked till her late 70s, sometimes performing in a wheelchair. Yet, nothing stopped her from being on stage and recording new songs. Lee also often recorded songs for Hollywood movies and Disney cartoons, including writing and performing four songs in ‘Lady and the Tramp’ in 1955. Overall, during her long career, Lee wrote over 270 songs. She also recorded her own numerous versions of other famous songs.

Dinah Washington (1924-1963)

Her control over the voice was impeccable. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t sing. In fact, it was her lyrical delivery that put her in the spotlight in the first place. Every word she sang stayed with you till the end of the song. No wonder they called her the ‘Queen of the Blues.’ However, it wasn’t only her delivery but her artistic persona that caught the eye of the public. Washington was flourishing on stage, captivating everyone’s attention on her alone. Besides, the singer was never afraid to take risks and take the less-traveled path. She also loved to tease the public with the rare so-called ‘dirty blues’ performances, which never left the listeners indifferent.

Dinah Washington’s career, although unfortunately short due to her death, made a big impact on the future generation of jazz and blues singers in the world.