Marva Josie (also known as Marva Josie Spurling) is an American jazz singer who was a longtime vocalist for Earl Hines. [1] [2] [3]
Josie was born on December 9, 1939, in Clairton, Pennsylvania [4] (a suburb of Pittsburgh [5] ).
Josie first met Hines in 1968. She toured for 16 years with his quartet, [6] and they recorded several albums together. [7] [8] In 1976 they played at the White House for President Gerald Ford [9] and later for President Jimmy Carter. [10] She was the last vocalist to tour with Hines. [11]
Before joining Hines' group, Josie made a reputation as an R&B singer [12] based in Detroit. [13] [14] She was originally trained in classical music and opera, [15] and was known for her extraordinary (5+1⁄2-octave) range. [16]
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 census. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city. It is home to Clairton Works operated by U.S. Steel, the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States.
Wardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.
William Clarence Eckstine was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award "for performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording." His recording of "I Apologize" was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. The New York Times described him as an "influential band leader" whose "suave bass-baritone" and "full-throated, sugary approach to popular songs inspired singers like Earl Coleman, Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Arthur Prysock, and Lou Rawls."
Etta Jones was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Milt Jackson, Cedar Walton, and Houston Person.
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman is best known for her music during the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Some of her most notable songs were "You Know How to Love Me" (1979), "Living All Alone" (1986) and "Don't Wanna Change the World" (1991).
Helen Merrill is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording Helen Merrill, was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation of bebop jazz musicians. After an active 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent time recording and touring in Europe and Japan, falling into obscurity in the United States. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was recorded by EmArcy, JVC and Verve; and her performances in America revived her profile. Known for her emotional, sensual vocal performances, her career continues in its sixth decade with concerts and recordings.
Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He was a member of the Art Tatum Trio from 1943 to 1944, was a backing musician on recording sessions, and later led his own bands, including a recording session with Charlie Parker. He is notable for playing the electric tenor guitar, a four-stringed instrument.
John Maurice Hartman was an American jazz singer, known for his rich baritone voice and recordings of ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his collaboration in 1963 with saxophonist John Coltrane, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, a landmark album for both him and Coltrane.
John Josephus Hicks Jr. was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He was leader of more than 30 recordings and played as a sideman on more than 300.
Mary Stallings is an American jazz vocalist and mother of soul singer Adriana Evans.
Clifton "Skeeter" Best was an American jazz guitarist.
John Ore was an American jazz bassist.
Borah Bergman was an American free jazz pianist.
Johnny Letman was an American jazz trumpeter.
Fatha's Day: An Earl Hines Songbook is an album by pianist John Hicks which was recorded in 2003 and released on the HighNote label. The album features seven compositions written or recorded by Earl Hines and five by Hicks.
Stride Right is an album by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges and pianist/organist Earl "Fatha" Hines featuring performances recorded in 1966 and released on the Verve label.
This is the discography for American jazz guitarist Tiny Grimes.
Elman H. "Rudy" Rutherford was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.
Josephine James is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and recording artist. James is best known for her performances on Burt Bacharach’s world tours, such as her feature song “Anyone Who Had a Heart". James is also the lead vocalist of George Duke, the band. James' co-wrote her solo albums Candles, Songcity, Hit Factory, and That Jazz with producer Nigel Martinez. James and Martinez also collaborated to release several UK singles: "Dance You Up," "Call Me ," "Now or Never," and "It's Up To Me." Her performance on "Street Life" from the album Royal Jam with The Crusaders, B.B. King, and The London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded live at Royal Festival Hall, was nominated for a Grammy.