- Original name:
- Ruth Lee Jones
- Born:
- August 29, 1924, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Dinah Washington
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Who was Dinah Washington?
Dinah Washington (1924-1963) was a highly influential American jazz and blues singer, celebrated for her exceptional vocal control and gospel-infused delivery. Known as the "Queen of the Blues," she significantly impacted female rock and roll singers.
Born Ruth Jones, she began singing in Chicago nightclubs and toured the gospel circuit. Around 1942–43, she adopted the stage name Dinah Washington. Her career took off in 1946 after singing with the Lionel Hampton band. Washington achieved commercial success with hits like "Evil Gal Blues" and "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," winning a Grammy Award in 1959. She died at 39 from an accidental overdose and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
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What type of music did Dinah Washington sing?
Dinah Washington, known as the Queen of the Blues, was an American singer celebrated for her exceptional voice control and gospel-influenced style.
Washington was noted for singing jazz and blues. Her early hits, such as "Evil Gal Blues," secured her place on rhythm and blues charts. She later achieved mainstream success with songs like "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," which won her a Grammy for best R&B performance in 1959.
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What made Dinah Washington’s singing style unique?
Dinah Washington, the "Queen of the Blues," was known for her exceptional voice control. Her unique, gospel-influenced delivery made her a profoundly influential vocalist. Quincy Jones, who once worked as Washington’s arranger, noted that she had a voice that was like the "pipes of life" and that she made every melody she sang her own. According to Jones, once she put her soulful trademark on a song, she owned it, and it was never the same.
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Can you name some famous songs performed by Dinah Washington?
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Jones, was a highly influential American jazz and blues singer, celebrated for her exceptional voice control and gospel-infused delivery.
Some of her famous songs include:
* "Evil Gal Blues"
* "Am I Asking Too Much"
* "Baby Get Lost"
* "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" - This song won her a Grammy Award in 1959 for best R&B performance.Washington's impact extends to artists like Etta James, Ruth Brown, and Amy Winehouse, who regarded Washington as her "goddess". Quincy Jones praised her unique ability to make every melody her own, leaving an indelible mark on each song she sang.
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How did Dinah Washington influence jazz and popular music?
Dinah Washington, known as the Queen of the Blues, significantly impacted jazz and popular music through her exceptional voice control and gospel-influenced delivery.
Washington's unique style influenced many artists, notably female rock and roll singers such as Etta James and Ruth Brown, as well as Amy Winehouse. Her ability to infuse every melody with her soulful trademark made each song uniquely her own.
She successfully crossed over to the popular music market with hits like "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," which won her a Grammy Award in 1959. Throughout the 1950s, she continued to perform at jazz festivals, retaining her earlier fans with her passionate style.
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What awards or honors did Dinah Washington receive during her career?
Dinah Washington, the "Queen of the Blues," earned notable recognition during her career. In 1959, she won a Grammy Award for best R&B performance for her hit song, "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Posthumously, Washington was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, cementing her profound influence on music. Many artists, including Etta James, Ruth Brown, and Amy Winehouse, have acknowledged Washington's impact on their work.
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Dinah Washington (born August 29, 1924, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.—died December 14, 1963, Detroit, Michigan) was an American jazz and blues singer noted for her excellent voice control and unique gospel-influenced delivery. Often called the Queen of the Blues, she was a profoundly influential vocal artist, especially on female rock and roll singers.
As a child, Ruth Jones moved with her family from Alabama to Chicago’s South Side. She sang in and played the piano for her church choir, following the lead of her devoutly religious and musically inclined mother, Asalea (later Alice) Williams. In 1939, after winning an amateur talent contest at the Regal Theater, Jones began to sing and play piano in various Chicago nightclubs, despite her mother’s disapproval of secular music. In addition, she toured the gospel circuit with Sallie Martin’s gospel group. About 1942–43 she adopted the stage name Dinah Washington while working as a singer in the house band at the Garrick Stage Lounge.
From 1943 to 1946 Washington sang with the Lionel Hampton band and in 1946 began a successful solo career. During the period from 1949 to 1955, her recordings were consistently among the top 10 hits on the rhythm-and-blues (R&B) charts. Her first hit song was “Evil Gal Blues,” and it was followed by such others as “Am I Asking Too Much” and “Baby Get Lost.” She later crossed over to the popular music market, in which she had her greatest commercial success, notably with “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes.” The song won her a Grammy Award in 1959 for best R&B performance.
Throughout the 1950s Washington continued performing at jazz festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island in 1958, a performance that yielded the live album Newport ’58. However, she retained many of her earlier fans because of her passionate supple style. She was married at least seven times (“I change husbands before they change me,” she once said) and was known for her love of fine clothing. During a performance at the London Palladium, Washington reportedly told the audience, “There is but one heaven, one hell, one queen, and your [Queen] Elizabeth is an imposter.”
Washington died at age 39 from an accidental overdose of prescription medications for weight control and insomnia. In 1993 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Among the performers who owe a debt to her talent are early rock and roll and R&B singers such as Etta James and Ruth Brown as well as 21st-century artists such as Amy Winehouse, who once called Washington “my goddess.” In his autobiography, Q (2001), Quincy Jones (who worked as Washington’s arranger) wrote of her impeccable musical skill:
She had a voice that was like the pipes of life.…Every single melody she sang she made hers. Once she put her soulful trademark on a song, she owned it and it was never the same.