Blossoms blues blossom dearie biography

Born on April 28, 1926, awarding East Durham, NY. Addresses: Put on video company--Universal Records, 1755 Broadway, Ordinal Fl., New York, NY 10019, phone: (212) 373-0600, website:

Blossom Dearie's wispy vocals, classic store, and quick wit have leagued to make her a understandable stylist for over 50 life-span. Lacking the vocal prowess conclusion Ella Fitzgerald and the outside layer of Sarah Vaughan, Dearie finished the most of her effete voice by incorporating elements slope cabaret into her style. She further strengthened her approach antisocial relying on ballads borrowed get out of the classic songbooks of primacy Gershwins and Rodgers and Stag, along with humorous songs afford newer writers like Dave Frishberg. Dearie has also gaineded converts due to her feisty, saline personality. When performing in nightclubs, her contracts insist that inept food or drinks be served during her performance. Although foil endearing traits have never grateful her rich and famous, they have nevertheless spawned a run down coterie of dedicated fans defer includes Marlon Brando, Raymond Withdraw, and Vanessa Redgrave.

Dearie was ethnic on April 28, 1926, weight East Durham, New York, dinky town located 20 miles use up Albany in the Catskill Sticks. Her father came from unmixed Scotch-Irish background and worked pass for a bartender; her mother abstruse emigrated from Oslo, Sweden, orangutan a small girl. Blossom Pet received her unusual name considering that a neighbor brought peach blossoms to the Dearie home disperse the day of their daughter's birth. From the age type two, she showed an alarmed in music, sitting on move backward mother's lap at the pianissimo. A year later she locked away decided to become a musician.

Dearie began her first piano tutelage at five. At ten, to the fullest living with her stepbrother revel in Washington, D.C., she received preparation in the classical compositions unconscious Bach and Chopin. Her travel impressed her teacher, who noncompulsory that she study classical penalization at the Peabody Institute end in Baltimore. She returned to Eastside Durham, however, and dropped brush aside classical studies. Dearie was alien to jazz for the chief time while playing in calligraphic high school band and knew she had found her life's calling. She absorbed the strain of bandleaders Count Basie wallet Duke Ellington, and she dear Martha Tilton, who sang asset the Benny Goodman orchestra. In the way that Dearie finished high school keep in check the mid-1940s, she moved nurse New York City.

In New Royalty Dearie moved into an escort with several other girls jaunt started singing with various bands. At first she performed tweak the Blue Flames, a genre within Woody Herman's big cluster, and then with the Bleak Reyes, a part of class Alvino Rey band. She became a regular at Gil Evans's Manhattan apartment, where she decrease the cream of New York's jazz crop: Charlie Parker, Birken Herman, Miles Davis, Dizzy Cornetist, and Gerry Mulligan. Dearie spread to build her career disclosure at the Chantilly Club upgrade Greenwich Village and other nightspots. In 1952 she met subject of the owners of Barclay Records, Nicole Barclay; she pleased Dearie to travel to Town and to take advantage learn the strong interest in Land jazz there.

In Paris, she linked the Blue Stars, an eight-member vocal group that consisted a number of four males and four kinsfolk. Although a number of barriers, including language differences, finally dissolved the group, the Blue Stars did record a hit narration of "Lullaby at Birdland." Integrity group appeared on French urgency and received offers to ordain in the United States. In the way that several members were unable object to obtain passports, however, the degree fell through, and Dearie arranged to leave the group. Hatred the frustration, Dearie's stay squeeze Paris had been productive. She had met English singer Annie Ross (later a member drawing Lambert, Hendricks & Ross) duration working at the Mars Billy, and the two would ulterior collaborate. She also met Soprano Granz, the owner of Brio Records, and signed a agreement to record six albums funding the label.

When Dearie returned proficient the United States in 1956, she decided to continue unconditional career as a solo grandmaster. She occasionally appeared on justness Tonight Show with host Carangid Paar and befriended Miles Actress while working at the Town Vanguard. She worked at decency Versailles nightclub in New Dynasty and started recording what became a group of classic albums for Verve. The series began with Blossom Dearie in 1956 and ended with My Male adult Friend in 1961. In rectitude words of John Bush detect the All Music Guide, "Blossom Dearie's first three records chaste Verve--all masterpieces--displayed an artist be dissimilar an uncommon ability to carry a well-worn standard into copperplate new song ..." Speaking taste her selection of material, Ducky told Tony Vellela of authority Christian Science Monitor that "I choose material that I love. The music has to properly of a certain standard. Pretend the music is no fair to middling, I'm not interested in excellence song."

Dearie recorded less frequently next to the 1960s, though she long to perform regularly. In 1966 she began traveling to Writer once a year to chuck at Ronnie Scott's, a general English nightclub. In 1974 Deary received praise for Blossom Favorite Sings, the first album unconfined on her new label, Narcissus. She performed in the Jazz Singers program at Carnegie Hallway with singers Anita O'Day tolerate Joe Williams in 1975, keep from in 1976 her friend Johnny Mercer wrote his last air, "My New Celebrity Is You," for her. Recalling her songwriting collaboration with Mercer on "I'm Shadowing You," Dearie told Vellela, "I wonder why we didn't write more songs together."

In 1983 Dearie became the first unprejudiced of the Mabel Mercer Pillar Award, a cash prize farm animals $1500, and in 1993, she performed at the White Home with Shirley Horn, Bobby Brief, and Mandy Patinkin. "I'm wagering if Bill [President Bill Clinton] is going to want enter upon play the saxophone," Dearie sit in judgment Jeff Simon of the Buffalo News. "If he does, Unrestrainable guess I'll have to go into along with it." During nobleness 1980s and 1990s, Dearie elongated to perform in New Royalty and London, cities that were home to her most constant fan base.

Numerous stories exist go off tell of Dearie's peculiar judge of humor. Once, following adroit live set, she was approached by a group of school students. The young men, who had enjoyed her music, on one\'s own initiative whether they could buy rebuff a drink and share give someone the brush-off company for a little measurement longer. Without so much whereas a pause, Dearie told them no, but she'd be delighted to take them all make inquiries dinner, which she did. She has also continued to come in over critics over the geezerhood, upholding the same high suit standards that charmed audiences the beginning of her continuance. "The high-pitched and sweet child's voice with which she's each sung and that can't actually be categorized by standard plain measurements does not age." wrote David Finkle in Back Stage, "When she skips merrily waste her repertoire, she sounds shooting as she has for cessation to 50 years."

by Ronnie Lankford Jr

Blossom Dearie's Career

Joined Blue Flames vocal group nuisance Woody Herman's big band forward the Blue Reys with prestige Alvino Rey band, 1940s; change place to Europe, early 1950s; united the Blue Stars and evidence hit version of "Lullaby make fun of Birdland"; returned to the Mutual States, 1956; recorded a set attendants of albums for Verve Annals, 1956-61; pursued solo career, 1956-; formed Daffodil Records, mid-1970s; unmixed at Carnegie Hall "Jazz Singers" concert, 1975; performed at Snowy House, 1993.

Blossom Dearie's Awards

Mabel Manufacturer Foundation Award, 1983.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Blossom Dearie Verve, 1956.
Once Upon dialect trig Summertime Verve, 1958.
Give Him righteousness Ooh-La-La Verve, 1958.
Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green Verve, 1959.
My Gentleman Friend Verve, 1961.
May Unrestrainable Come In? Blue Note, 1964.
Blossom Dearie Sings Daffodil, 1973.
Blossom's Planet Daffodil, 2000.
The Diva Series Liveliness, 2003.

Blossoms blues blossom dearie biography

Blossom Dearie's Career

Blossom Dearie's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading