Nancy Wilson
Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets -- and even hosting her own television variety program -- she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Born February 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson first attracted notice performing the club circuit in nearby Columbus; she quickly earned a growing reputation among jazz players and fans, and she was recording regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing LPs including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra. Her dates with Shearing, including 1960's The Swingin's Mutual, solidified her standing as a talent on the rise, and her subsequent work with Adderley -- arguably her finest recordings -- further cemented her growing fame and reputation.
In the years to follow, however, Wilson often moved away from jazz, much to the chagrin of purists; she made numerous albums, many of them properly categorized as pop and R&B outings, and toured extensively, appearing with everyone from Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan to Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. She even hosted her own Emmy-winning variety series for NBC, The Nancy Wilson Show, and was a frequent guest performer on other programs; hits of the period included "Tell Me the Truth," "How Glad I Am," "Peace of Mind," and "Now, I'm a Woman." Regardless of how far afield she traveled, Wilson always maintained her connections to the jazz world, and in the '80s, she returned to the music with a vengeance, working closely with performers including Hank Jones, Art Farmer, Ramsey Lewis, and Benny Golson. By the 1990s, she was a favorite among the "new adult contemporary" market, her style ideally suited to the format's penchant for lush, romantic ballads; she also hosted the Jazz Profiles series on National Public Radio.
In the early 2000s, Wilson recorded two albums with Ramsey Lewis for Narada (2002's Meant to Be and 2003's Simple Pleasures). Her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) was a blend of straight-ahead jazz and ballads, similar to her next record, 2006's Turned to Blue, which, like R.S.V.P., used a different instrumentalist for each track. In 2005, Capitol released a three-part series to pay tribute to Wilson's contributions to music in the '50s and '60s: Guess Who I Saw Today: Nancy Wilson Sings Songs of Lost Love, Save Your Love for Me: Nancy Wilson Sings the Great Blues Ballads, and The Great American Songbook. Nancy Wilson died at her home on December 13, 2018 after a long illness.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Ice Skating
Jazz - Released by backstagepro records on 28 May 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Other Words, Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
In Other Words, Vol. 3
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Christmas Cat
Jazz - Released by xmas love forever on 2 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Night Long
Nancy Wilson, The George Shearing Quintet
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 21 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 12 Days of Christmas with Nancy Wilson
Jazz - Released by All I Have To Do Is Dream on 25 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hunting Down Good Tunes
Jazz - Released by wood and food rec. on 9 Feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Things We Did Last Summer
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Collection
Jazz - Released by Play Digital on 15 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Salon
Nancy Wilson, Cannonball Adderley
Jazz - Released by More Wings in Hell on 11 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nancy Wilson - Music History
Pop - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 24 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hello Young Lovers
Vocal Jazz - Released by Stage Door on 18 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Live Again The Early Years
Christmas Music - Released by Earfood on 30 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
If It's the Last Thing I Do
Soul - Released by Putlabel on 8 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giants of Jazz
Jazz - Released by School of Jazz Records on 27 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In the Mood of Jazz
Jazz - Released by Jazz 2 Jazz Records on 28 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Precious Collection
Jazz - Released by Green Grass Records on 25 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo