Biographies » Dinah Washington (~blackpast.org)

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DINAH WASHINGTON, Singer
Born: August 29, 1924
Died: December 14, 1963

Dinah Washington, legendary singer and ‘Queen of the Blues,’ was born Ruth Lee Jones on August 29, 1924. 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.

Articles» Abbey Lincoln on Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington(top) & Abbey Lincoln(bottom)
Abbey Lincoln on Dinah Washington

Great jazz singer Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010) talks to Will Friedwald on June 1997, about another great singer: Dinah Washington (1924-1963).

Source of this article is from the liner notes of the album:
"Ultimate Dinah Washington: Selected by Abbey Lincoln (Verve, 1997)"


Below, there's the thumbnails of the article; click them to enlarge & read..

Dinah Washington: Send Me To 'lectric Chair

Album: Dinah Washington - Ultimate Dinah Washington, Selected by Abbey Lincoln

Dinah Washington - Ultimate Dinah Washington, Selected by Abbey Lincoln

Album review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine ~allmusic.com
Abbey Lincoln compiled The Ultimate Dinah Washington, a 16-track selection of Washington's best-known songs that offers an excellent introduction to her Verve recordings. Although purists and collectors will have little use for this set, it suits the purposes of neophytes and curious listeners quite well. Among the highlights are "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," "Backwater Blues," "Cry Me a River," "I Wanna Be Loved," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Harbor Lights," "You Don't Know What Love Is," "I Won't Cry Anymore," "Unforgettable," and "The Bitter Earth."

Dinah Washington, 1924 - 1963, Singer