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| Nancy Wilson Performs At The Herbst Theatre Nancy Wilson will be performing some of her greatest hits live at the Herbst Theatre January 19th. She will be performing some of her " greatest hits including "Guess Who I saw Today" and "Tell Me The Truth". 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." Nancys 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. 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 the African American Community. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |