Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson's musical style is so diverse that it is hard
to classify. Over the years her repertoire has included pop style ballads,
jazz and blues, show tunes and well known standards. Critics have
described her as “a jazz singer,” “a blues singer,” “a pop singer,” and “a
cabaret singer.” Still others have referred to her as “a storyteller,” “a
professor emeritus of body language,” “a consummate actress,” and “the complete
entertainer.” Then who is this song stylist (that’s the descriptive title
she prefers) whose voice embodies the nuances of gospel, blues, and jazz? Her
colleague and long time friend Joe Williams used to call her “the thrush from Columbus.”
By the age of four, Nancy Wilson knew she wanted to be a
singer. Born in Chillicothe, OH, Nancy grew up in Columbus where her father
provided early exposure to many vocalists. These included male singers
Billy Eckstine and Louis Jordan, and the rhythm and blues of Ruth Brown and
LaVerne Baker. Nat King Cole was influential as well. She also heard
big band vocalists Jimmy Rushing with Count Basie’s Orchestra, and Lionel Hampton’s
Little Jimmy Scott. As a child she took an active part in church music as
well as school choirs and dance bands.
Nancy’s
professional singing career began at the age of 15. She had her own television
show, Skyline Melody, on a local station. Soon after, she began performing
in clubs in the Columbus
area. After graduating high school, still undecided about a music career,
she enrolled in the teacher training program at Central
State College. But in 1956, Nancy’s desire outweighed the uncertainty of
a vocal career, so she left college to join The Rusty Bryant Band. That
same year she met Julian “Cannonball” Adderley when she accompanied Bryant’s
band to New York City
for a recording session. Adderley, impressed with her talent and
determination, took an immediate interest in her career and the two kept in
touch.
In 1959, Nancy moved to New York City, allotting
herself six months to attain her goals. She wanted Cannonball’s manager,
John Levy, to represent her, and she wanted Capitol Records as her label. Within
four weeks of her arrival in New York
she got her first big break, a call to fill in for Irene Reid at The Blue
Morocco. Nancy
did so well that the club booked her on a permanent basis; she was singing four
nights a week and working as a receptionist during the day. She called
John Levy and he went to catch her show.
“John called me the very next day. He set up a session
to record a demo,” Nancy
recalls. “Ray Bryant and I went in and recorded 'Guess Who I Saw Today,'
'Sometimes I’m Happy,' and two other songs. We sent them to Capitol and
within five days the phone rang. Within six weeks I had all the things I
wanted.”
Nancy’s
debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today,” was so successful that between April of
1960 and July of 1962 Capitol Records released five Nancy Wilson
albums. Two of those remain in-demand reissues to this day: "The
Swingin’s Mutual" with George Shearing (1961) and "Nancy
Wilson/Cannonball Adderley" (1962), and earned her a permanent star in the
jazz constellation. In 1963 “Tell Me The Truth” became her first truly
major hit, leading up to her performance at the Coconut Grove in 1964 – the
turning pointing of her career, garnering critical acclaim from coast to
coast. Time magazine wrote, “She is, all at once, both cool and sweet,
both singer and story teller.”
Nancy
was seen performing on variety shows ("The Andy Williams Show,"
"The Carol Burnett Show," "The Flip Wilson Show," and
others) and for one season she had her own popular television program,
"The Nancy Wilson Show" (NBC) that won an Emmy in 1975. Nancy
also took on acting roles, appearing on popular television shows throughout the
years, from "I Spy," "Room 222," "Hawaii Five-O,"
and "Police Story," to "The Cosby Show," "Soul
Food," "New York Undercover," "Moesha," and "The
Parkers."
After years with Capitol, during many of which she was
second in sales only to the Beatles, surpassing even Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee,
the Beach Boys, and early idol Nat King Cole, the business had changed,
providing Nancy with an opportunity to seek out projects that allowed her to
express the maturity that she acquired throughout her then 55 years of life.
One of the more interesting albums from her later period came about in 1991,
when singer Barry Manilow was given a sheath full of lyrics written by the late
Johnny Mercer which the great songwriter had never put to music. Manilow
added melodies and chose Nancy
to sing the resultant songs.
In 1995, when National Public Radio (NPR) was looking for an
articulate voice with both name value and jazz credibility to host their Jazz
Profiles series, Nancy
was the obvious choice. Not only did she know the music, but she knew the
artists personally. Her first profile for this program was the 75th
birthday tribute to Charlie Parker.
In the late 1990s, Nancy teamed
up with MCG Jazz, a social enterprise supporting the youth education programs
of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, a nonprofit, minority-directed, arts and
learning organization located in Pittsburgh,
PA. "A Nancy Wilson
Christmas," released for the 2001 holiday season was her only completed
Christmas album. All proceeds form the sale of A Nancy Wilson Christmas
went directly to support the programs of MCG Jazz.
Three years later Nancy
gave MCG Jazz and the world of music another gift – "R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs,
Very Personal)" – which was released on August 25, 2004. Receiving
gifts in return, "R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)" won the 2005
GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and the 2005 NAACP Image Award for Best
Jazz Artist. (This was her second GRAMMY®, the first being in 1964 for
“How Glad I Am,” and her second Image Award, the first being in
1986.) Other honors Nancy has received include a Star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, streets and days dedicated in her name, honorary doctorate degrees,
and in 2005, the UNCF Trumpet Award celebrating African-American achievement, a
Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP in Chicago, and Oprah Winfrey’s
Legends Award.
Her third CD on the MCG Jazz label, "Turned To
Blue" (released in August 2006), brought her a third Grammy award. While
Ms. Wilson has “retired from touring,” she still continues to perform select
engagements and, happily, to record. In addition, she has just taken on the
role of Honorary Spokesperson for the National
Minority AIDS Council and is working very hard to raise AIDS awareness in
African-American communities.
