Andy Bey facts for kids

Andrew Wideman Bey Jr. (October 28, 1939 – April 26, 2025) was a talented American jazz singer and pianist. He was known for his amazing vocal range, which allowed him to sing many different notes.

Andy Bey's Early Life

Andrew Wideman Bey Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 28, 1939. His father, Andrew Wideman, adopted the surname Bey. Andy kept this surname throughout his life.

His mother, Victoria (Johnson) Wideman, raised Andy and his eight older brothers and sisters. He attended Newark Arts High School, where he likely developed his musical skills.

Andy Bey was dedicated to his music career. He maintained a healthy lifestyle, including yoga and a vegetarian diet. His 1996 album, Ballads, Blues & Bey, helped him become very well-known again.

He lived in Chelsea, Manhattan for a long time. Andy Bey passed away in Englewood, New Jersey, on April 26, 2025, at 85 years old.

Andy Bey's Music Career

Andy Bey started his career early. In 1959 and 1960, he worked on the TV show Startime. He also sang for famous musician Louis Jordan.

When he was 17, Andy formed a music group with his sisters, Salome Bey and Geraldine Bey. They called themselves Andy and the Bey Sisters. This trio toured Europe for 16 months, performing for many audiences. A documentary about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, called Let's Get Lost, shows them performing in Paris.

The trio recorded three albums before they stopped performing together in 1967. Andy Bey also worked with other jazz greats like Horace Silver and Gary Bartz.

In 1973, Andy Bey and Dee Dee Bridgewater were featured singers on Stanley Clarke's album Children of Forever. Later, Bey recorded his own album, Experience and Judgment (1974). This album showed influences from Indian music. He then returned to a style of jazz called hard bop. He even recorded jazz versions of songs by non-jazz artists, like Nick Drake.

Andy Bey performed in a theater play in 1976. It was called A Rat's Mass and was directed by Cecil Taylor. Other musicians also performed in the show, which combined the play's script with voices used like musical instruments.

Some of Andy Bey's other popular albums include Ballads, Blues & Bey (1996), Tuesdays in Chinatown (2001), American Song (2004), and Ain't Necessarily So (2007).

Awards and Recognitions

Andy Bey received several awards for his musical talent:

• 2003: He was named "Jazz Vocalist of the Year" by the Jazz Journalists Association.
• 2005: His album American Song was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
• 2014: His album Pages from an Imaginary Life was chosen as the "Best Vocal Album" in the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll.

Andy Bey's Albums

Here are some of the albums Andy Bey recorded:

• 1974: Experience and Judgment (Atlantic)
• 1991: As Time Goes By (Jazzette)
• 1996: Ballads, Blues & Bey (Evidence)
• 1998: Shades of Bey (Evidence)
• 2001: Tuesdays in Chinatown (N-Coded)
• 2003: Chillin' with Andy Bey (Minor Music)
• 2004: American Song (Savoy Jazz)
• 2007: Ain't Necessarily So (12th Street)
• 2013: The World According to Andy Bey (HighNote)
• 2014: Pages from an Imaginary Life (HighNote)

With Andy and the Bey Sisters

• 1961: Andy and the Bey Sisters (RCA Victor)
• 1964: Now! Hear! (Prestige)
• 1965: 'Round Midnight (Prestige)

With Other Artists Andy Bey also contributed to albums by other musicians:

• With Gary Bartz: Harlem Bush Music − Taifa (1971), Harlem Bush Music − Uhuru (1971), Juju Street Songs (1972), Follow, the Medicine Man (1973)
• With Stanley Clarke: Children of Forever (1973)
• With Gerry Eastman: Songbook (1995)
• With Howard McGhee Orchestra: Cookin' Time (1966)
• With Bob Malach: The Searcher (1995)
• With Grachan Moncur III: Shadows (1977)
• With Mtume Umoja Ensemble: Alkebu-Lan: Land of the Blacks (Live at the East) (1972)
• With Duke Pearson: How Insensitive (1969)
• With Max Roach: Members, Don't Git Weary (1968)
• With Horace Silver: That Healin' Feelin': The United States Of Mind / Phase 1 (1970), Music to Ease Your Disease (1988), It's Got to Be Funky (1993), Total Response (1996)