The Best of Lounge and Blues Music

Etta James

Etta James is a legendary figure in the world of lounge and blues music. She is best known for her hit song, “At Last,” which has become an enduring classic. Born in Los Angeles in 1938, James began singing in clubs and on the radio at a young age. She rose to prominence in the 1950s with her stunning vocal performances and Blues songs such as “All I Could Do Was Cry” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” In the 1960s, James switched to a more soulful style of music, scoring hits with songs like “Tell Mama” and “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.” She continued to tour and record throughout her career, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2012, she was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who became one of the most influential musical figures of the 20th century. Raised in North Carolina, she started playing piano at a young age and developed a unique style that blended gospel, jazz, blues, and classical music. She rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s with hits like “I Loves You, Porgy” and “Feeling Good.” In addition to her musical career, Simone was an active voice in the Civil Rights Movement; her song “Mississippi Goddam” became an anthem for the movement. She continued to make music until her death in 2003.

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills, as well as her ability to capture the emotions of a song.

Holiday began singing in nightclubs in Harlem and achieved fame with her first recording, “Taint Nobody’s Business”, in 1933. She signed a contract with Brunswick Records in 1935. Her major recordings for Brunswick included “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “I Cried for You”. She remained with Brunswick until 1938, when she signed with Columbia Records. During the next five years, Holiday had mainstream success on Columbia with such songs as “Strange Fruit”, “God Bless the Child”, and “Tenderly”.

In 1939, Holiday was featured on eight recordings that became hits: from April she sang on four number one hit records – “Carelessly”, “What A Little Moonlight Can Do”, “I Cried For You” (a re-make), and finally, in early May, on what became her signature song, “Strange Fruit”.

Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan, nicknamed “Sassy” and “The Divine One”, was an American jazz singer. She is considered by many critics to be one of the most important singers in the history of jazz and pop music. She had a four-octave range and was a self-taught pianist.

Vaughan’s father, Asbury “Jake” Vaughan, was a carpenter by trade and played guitar and piano. Her mother, Ada Vaughan, was a laundress and sang in the local church choir. Jake and Ada met in their teens while working in Richmond’s tobacco factories. When Sarah was four years old, her parents separated, leaving her to be raised principally by her paternal grandmother Sadie in Richmond’s Jackfoot neighborhood.

Sarah began singing at an early age, attending church with her grandmother on Sundays where she would take part in the singing. On weekdaysSarah attended the Hunter Holstein School, a girl’s grammar school located on Fulton Street in Richmond’s East End community, known as Mosby Court. As a teenager she often listened to big band jazz records while soaking up the music at local after-hours clubs such as Maggie Mae’s Esquire Club on East Broad Street or The Palm Beach Club on Richmond’s South Side.

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, and intonation, and was a foundational influence on subsequent jazz vocalists. Fitzgerald’s vocal range was versatile, spanning from bass to soprano.

Conclusion

Lounge and blues music covers a wide range of styles, from the sophisticated sounds of early jazz to the more modern strains of acid jazz and nu-jazz. While the term “lounge music” can conjure up images of smoky nightclubs and martini-sipping hipsters, the reality is that lounge music is simply a type of music designed to be relaxing and easy to listen to. Whether you’re looking for something to help you unwind after a long day or want background music for your next party, lounge and blues is a great genre to explore.

The Best of Lounge and Blues Music

Introduction