Dianne Reeves was born 23 October 1956 in Detroit. She is an American jazz singer. Her live performances are more important than her albums. She is considered to be one of the greatest female jazz singers today, alongside Dee Dee Bridgewater and Diana Krall. Dianne lives in Denver, Colorado (USA). She comes from a musical family. She was two when her father died. He was also a singer. Vada Swanson was her mother and played the trumpet. George Duke, a cousin, is a well-known keyboard and piano player and producer. Their grandmother raised Dianne and Sharon in Denver, Colorado. Dianne learned piano lessons as a child and sang whenever she could. An inspiring teacher encouraged Dianne’s interest in music at the age of 11 and suggested that music was the best way for students to connect. Dianne found a passion for music and decided she wanted to become a singer. Charles Burell, her uncle, was a bass player for the Denver Symphony Orchestra. He introduced her to jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Sarah Vaughan was a favorite. 1974 She was sixteen years old when she began singing in a high school bigband at the George Washington Highschool in Denver. The band also performed at a music festival (Convention of National Association of Jazz Educators) that year. Her band won first place. It was here that she met Clark Terry, a trumpeter who became her mentor after discovering her. 1975 She began music studies at the University of Denver a year later, and moved to Los Angeles in 1976. She discovered Latin-American music in Los Angeles and began to experiment with various vocal styles. Finally, she decided to become a singer. Eduardo del Barrio was her first love and she met him while touring with the group “Caldera”. She also sang in Billy Child’s jazz band, “Night Flights”. Later, she toured with Sergio Mendes. She toured as a singer with Harry Belafonte from 1983 to 1986. This was her first exposure to world music. Blue Note Records signed her as the first female vocalist in 1987. In 1992, she moved from Los Angeles to Denver. She performed at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games’ closing ceremony in Salt Lake City. Grammy Awards. She currently holds three Grammy Awards for the “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” category for her albums 2001 In The Moment 2002 The Calling2003 A Little Moonlight 2006. Good Night, And Good Luck(Soundtrack). She is the only artist to win this Grammy in consecutive years. [edit] Discography 1977: Welcome to My Love 1987-I Remember 1990 – Never Too Far 1991 – Dianne Reeves (same album as Better Days 1993) – Art
