"She could take the melody in her hand, hold it like an egg, crack it open, fry it, let it sizzle, reconstruct it, put the egg back in the box and back in the refrigerator and you would've still understood every single syllable." - Quincy Jones
We have an important centenary to celebrate today, dear reader - that of the utterly magnificent Miss Dinah Washington! All hail.
The former Ruth Jones took the music world by storm with her crystal clear, multi-range vocals - perfectly suited to jazz, blues, torch songs and big band music alike. She worked over the years with the top names in the industry, including Lionel Hampton, Louis Jordan, Brook Benton and the aforementioned Quincy Jones, and was certainly an influence on later artists like Aretha Franklin (and all other blues and soul artistes thereafter).
Remarkably, by the time of her accidental death in 1963 from an overdose of sleeping pills at the age of 39, she had already had seven husbands and recorded a back catalogue of fabulous music of which many artists would have been proud. One can only imagine what more delights Miss Washington would have given the world had she lived longer...
[And just look who's playing "continuity announcer"!]
And of course, a record for which she is perhaps most famous these days (written, of course, by the Master - Noel Coward):
We're mad about her!
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones, 29th August 1924 – 14th December 1963)
That voice. So distinctive. And her interpretations were beyond compare.
ReplyDeleteUtterly sublime - true talent.
DeleteEvery time we hear her, we shout "try and do THAT, Miss Beyonce Knowles!" Jx
An Amazing voice and amazing musicality. I didn't realize she died as young as that; a tragic loss to the world.
ReplyDeleteLive fast, die young - and such a remarkable legacy! Jx
DeleteYep. She featured in the family's record collection.
ReplyDeleteYour family had taste, Dinah. Jx
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