- Dinah Washington
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Dinah Washington 
Background information Birth name Ruth Lee Jones Also known as Queen of the Blues Born August 29, 1924 Origin Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States Died December 14, 1963 (aged 39) Genres Blues, R&B, vocal jazz Occupations Singer Years active 1942-1963 Labels Keynote, Mercury,
EmArcy, RouletteAssociated acts Lionel Hampton
Clifford Brown
Brook BentonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones (August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963), was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s",[1] and called "The Queen of the Blues".[2] She is a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame,[3] and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Contents
Career
Ruth Jones was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and moved to Chicago as a child. Dinah became deeply involved in gospel and played piano for the choir in St. Luke's Baptist Church while she was still in elementary school. She sang gospel music in church and played piano, directing her church choir in her teens and being a member of the Sallie Martin Gospel Singers. She sang lead with the first female gospel singers formed by Ms Martin, who was co-founder of the Gospel Singers Convention. Jones' involvement with the gospel choir occurred after she won an amateur contest at Chicago's Regal Theater where she sang "I Can't Face the Music".[citation needed]
After winning a talent contest at the age of 15, she began performing in clubs. By 1941-42 she was performing in such Chicago clubs as Dave's Rhumboogie and the Downbeat Room of the Sherman Hotel (with Fats Waller). She was playing at the Three Deuces, a jazz club, when a friend took her to hear Billie Holiday at the Garrick Stage Bar. Joe Sherman was so impressed with her singing of "I Understand", backed by The Cats & The Fiddle, who were appearing in the Garrick's upstairs room, that he immediately hired her. During her year at the Garrick - she sang upstairs while Holiday performed in the downstairs room - she acquired the name by which she became known. Joe Sherman is generally credited with suggesting the change from Ruth Jones, but both Joe Glaser, the booker-manager who brought Lionel Hampton to hear Dinah at the Garrick, and Hampton himself have occasionally been given the responsibility for the name change.[citation needed] Hampton's visit brought an offer, and Dinah went to work as his female vocalist in 1943 after she had sung with the band for its opening at the Chicago Regal Theatre. She sang with the Hampton band for two years.
She made her recording debut for the Keynote label that December with "Evil Gal Blues", written by Leonard Feather and backed by Hampton and musicians from his band, including Joe Morris (trumpet) and Milt Buckner (piano).[1][4][5] Both that record and its follow-up, "Salty Papa Blues", made Billboard's "Harlem Hit Parade" in 1944.[6]
She stayed with Hampton's band until 1946 and, after the Keynote label folded, signed for Mercury Records as a solo singer. Her first record for Mercury, a version of Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'", was another hit, starting a long string of success. Between 1948 and 1955, she had 27 R&B top ten hits, making her one of the most popular and successful singers of the period. Both "Am I Asking Too Much" (1948) and "Baby Get Lost" (1949) reached # 1 on the R&B chart, and her version of "I Wanna Be Loved" (1950) crossed over to reach # 22 on the US pop chart.[6] Her hit recordings included blues, standards, novelties, pop covers, and even a version of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart" (R&B # 3, 1951). At the same time as her biggest popular success, she also recorded sessions with many leading jazz musicians, notably Clifford Brown on the 1954 live album Dinah Jams, and also recorded with Cannonball Adderley, Clark Terry, and Ben Webster.[1][5]
In 1959, she had her first top ten pop hit, with a version of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes", which made # 4 on the US pop chart. Her band at that time included arranger Belford Hendricks, with Kenny Burrell (guitar), Joe Zawinul (piano), and Panama Francis (drums). She followed it up with a version of Nat "King" Cole's "Unforgettable", and then two highly successful duets in 1960 with Brook Benton, "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (# 5 pop, # 1 R&B) and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love) (# 7 pop, # 1 R&B). Her last big hit was "September in the Rain" in 1961 (# 23 pop, 5 R&B).[6]
According to Richard S. Ginell at Allmusic:[1]
"[She] was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century - beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop - and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time. Hers was a gritty, salty, high-pitched voice, marked by absolute clarity of diction and clipped, bluesy phrasing..."
Washington was well known for singing torch songs.[7] In 1962, Dinah hired a male backing trio called the Allegros, consisting of Jimmy Thomas on drums, Earl Edwards on sax, and Jimmy Sigler on organ. Edwards was eventually replaced on sax by John Payne. A Variety writer praised their vocals as "effective choruses".[8]
Washington's achievements included appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival (1955–59), the Randalls Island Jazz Festival in New York City (1959), and the International Jazz Festival in Washington D.C. (1962), frequent gigs at Birdland (1958, 1961–62), and performances in 1963 with Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
Performing at the London Palladium, with Queen Elizabeth sitting in a box, Washington told the audience: "There is but one Heaven, one Hell, one queen, and your Elizabeth is an imposter."[citation needed]
Personal life
Washington was married eight times and divorced seven times, while having several lovers, including, according to Patti Austin, Quincy Jones.[9] She had two children. Her husbands were John Young (1942–43), George Jenkins (1949), Walter Buchanan (1950), saxophonist Eddie Chamblee (1957), Rafael Campos (1957), Horatio Maillard (1959–60), Jackie Hayes (1960), and Dick "Night Train" Lane (1963).
Early on the morning of December 14, 1963, Washington's eighth husband Lane went to sleep with his wife, and awoke later to find her slumped over and not responsive. Doctor B. C. Ross came to the scene to pronounce her dead.[8] An autopsy later showed a lethal combination of secobarbital and amobarbital which contributed to her death at the age of 39. She is buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.
Awards
Grammy Award
Year Category Title Genre 1959 Best Rhythm & Blues Performance What a Diff'rence a Day Makes R&B Grammy Hall of Fame
Recordings by Dinah Washington were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."[10]
Year Title Genre Label Year Inducted 1959 Unforgettable pop (single) Mercury 2001 1954 Teach Me Tonight R&B (single) Mercury 1999 1959 What a Diff'rence a Day Makes traditional pop (single) Mercury 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed a song of Dinah Washington as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock.[11]
Year Recorded Title Genre 1948 Am I Asking Too Much? R&B Honors and Inductions
- Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington is a 1964 album recorded by Aretha Franklin as a tribute.
- In 1993, the U.S. Post Office issued a Dinah Washington 29 cent commemorative postage stamp.
- In 2005, the Board of Commissioners renamed a park, near where Washington had lived in Chicago in the 1950s, Dinah Washington Park in her honor.[12]
- In 2008, the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington's birthplace, renamed the section of 30th Avenue between 15th Street and Kaulton Park "Dinah Washington Avenue."[13] The unveiling ceremony for the new name took place on March 12, 2009, with Washington's son Robert Grayson and three of her grandchildren, Tracy Jones, Tera Jones, and Bobby Hill Jr., in attendance.[14]
Year Title Result Notes 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted Early Influences 1984 Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame Inducted Discography
Albums
- 1950: Dinah Washington (MG-25260) [a]
- 1950: Dynamic Dinah! - The Great Voice of Dinah Washington [a]
- 1952: Blazing Ballads
- 1954: After Hours with Miss "D"
- 1954: Dinah Jams
- 1955: For Those in Love
- 1956: Dinah!
- 1956: In the Land of Hi-Fi
- 1956: The Swingin' Miss "D"
- 1957: Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller
- 1958: Dinah Sings Bessie Smith
- 1958: Newport '58
- 1959: The Queen
- 1959: What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!
- 1959: Unforgettable
- 1960: The Two of Us (with Brook Benton)
- 1960: I Concentrate on You
- 1960: For Lonely Lovers
- 1961: September in the Rain
- 1962: Dinah '62
- 1962: In Love
- 1962: Drinking Again
- 1962: Tears and Laughter [b]
- 1962: I Wanna Be Loved [b]
- 1963: Back to the Blues
- 1963: Dinah '63
- 1963: This Is My Story [b]
- 1964: In Tribute [c]
- 1964: Dinah Washington (SR-25269) [c]
- 1967: Dinah Discovered [c]
- Notes
- ^a Compilation albums with tracks of early 78 rpm era.
- ^b Compilation albums from Mercury Records which consist of previously unreleased tracks, released after Dinah moved to Roulette Records.
- ^c Posthumous compilation albums which consist of previously unreleased tracks.
- References
- Mercury Records Discography Project - JAZZDISCO.org, retrieved June 24, 2010
- Mercury Records Collection, retrieved June 24, 2010
- Roulette Album Discography, Part 1, Both Side Now Publications, retrieved June 24, 2010
- allmusic ((( Dinah Washington > Discography > Main Albums ))), retrieved June 24, 2010.
Compilations
- The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury (7 x 3-CDs, PolyGram, 1987–1989)
- Vol. 1 (1946–1949)
- Vol. 2 (1950–1952)
- Vol. 3 (1952–1954)
- Vol. 4 (1954–1956)
- Vol. 5 (1956–1958)
- Vol. 6 (1958–1960)[15]
- Vol. 7 (1961)
- The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (5-CDs, Mosaic Records, 2004)
Singles
Year Song Peak chart positions US US R&B UK 1944 "Salty Papa Blues" 8 "Evil Gal Blues" 9 1948 "Ain't Misbehavin'" 6 "West Side Baby" 7 "Walkin' and Talkin' (And Crying My Blues Away)" 13 "I Want to Cry" 11 "Resolution Blues" 15 "Am I Asking Too Much" 1 "It's Too Soon To Know" 2 1949 "You Satisfy" 8 "Baby Get Lost" 1 "Good Daddy Blues" 9 "Long John Blues" 3 1950 "I Only Know" 3 "It Isn't Fair" 5 "I Wanna Be Loved" 22 5 "I'll Never Be Free" 3 "Time Out For Tears" 6 1951 "Harbor Lights" 10 "My Heart Cries for You" 7 "I Won't Cry Anymore" 6 "Cold, Cold Heart" 3 1952 "Wheel of Fortune" 3 "Tell Me Why" 7 "Trouble in Mind" 4 "New Blowtop Blues" 5 1953 "TV Is the Thing (This Year)" 3 "Fat Daddy" 10 1954 "I Don't Hurt Anymore" 3 "Dream" 9 "Teach Me Tonight" 23 4 1955 "I Concentrate on You" 11 "I Diddle" 14 "If It's the Last Thing I Do" 13 "That's All I Want from You" 8 "You Might Have Told Me" 14 1956 "I'm Lost Without You Tonight" 13 "Soft Winds" 13 1958 "Make Me a Present of You" 27 1959 "What a Difference a Day Made" 8 4 "Unforgettable" 17 15 1960 "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (with Brook Benton) 5 1 "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)" (with Brook Benton) 7 1 "This Bitter Earth" 24 1 "Love Walked In" 30 16 "It Could Happen to You" 53 1961 "September in the Rain" 23* 5 35 1962 "Tears and Laughter" 71* "Cold, Cold Heart" (new version of 1951 hit) 96 "Dream" (new version of 1954 hit) 92 "I Want to Be Loved" (new version of 1950 hit) 76 "Where Are You" 36* "You're a Sweetheart" 98 "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" 87 1963 "Soulville" 92 1992 "Mad About the Boy" 41 - "September In the Rain", "Tears and Laughter" and "Where Are You" also made the AC charts (nos. 5, 17 and 11 respectively)
References
- Queen of the Blues: A Biography of Dinah Washington, Jim Haskins, 1987, William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-04846-3
- Top Pop Records 1955-1972, Joel Whitburn, 1973, Record Research.
- ^ a b c d Richard S. Ginell, Biography at Allmusic.com
- ^ Ebony, April 1971, p.122
- ^ Bogdanov et al. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues p. 373. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879307366
- ^ Keynote Records discography
- ^ a b Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: induction profile
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 469.
- ^ New York Times. April 7, 1998. Peter Marks. Theater Review: Queen Of Blues Is Royally Annoyed With Life
- ^ a b Cohodas, Nadine (2004). Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington
- ^ Patti Austin recorded in BBC documentary, The Many Lives of Quincy Jones, 2008
- ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Database
- ^ 500 Songs That Shaped Rock
- ^ [1] The Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District. FEBRUARY 9, 2005
- ^ "Odetta should be memorialized" The Tuscaloosa News, Monday, December 8, 2008
- ^ "Sign links singer with local roots" by Bebe Barefoot Lloyd, The Tuscaloosa News, Friday, March 13, 2009
- ^ Though "1958 - 1960" in the title, it clearly contains only 1959 and 1960 recording sessions.
External links
- Dinah Washington : Home, Verve Music Group
- Dinah Washington's Gravesite
Categories:- 1924 births
- 1963 deaths
- Musicians from Alabama
- American blues singers
- American jazz singers
- Blues Hall of Fame inductees
- Dirty blues musicians
- Torch singers
- Musicians from Chicago, Illinois
- Women in jazz
- Grammy Award winners
- Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
- Mercury Records artists
- Drug-related deaths in Michigan
- Accidental deaths in Michigan
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- African American female singers
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