Cleveland Watkiss was born in London’s East End. He studied voice with Arnold Rose, an opera coach, and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Cleveland was also a co-founder of the hugely influential Jazz Warriors big group. On their debut album Out of Many People, you can hear his vocals. It won a Japanese video award. Cleveland was then eligible for the Wire/Guardian Jazz Awards. He was voted best singer for three consecutive years and was also the opening act for Cassandra Wilson (world’s most famous female jazz vocalist) and Abbey Lincoln (world’s greatest female jazz vocalist). John Fordham, a Guardian music journalist, accurately described Cleveland as “arriving onto the scene with a bang”. His incredible vocal performances have allowed him to perform with many different artists around the globe, including Wynton Marsalis and the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Wynton Marsilis, Bob Dylan, Jackie Mittoo and Keith Richards.
