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Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson.jpg
Wilson in 2007
Background information
Born (1955-12-04) December 4, 1955 (age 69)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1985–present
Labels JMT, Blue Note
Associated acts M-Base Collective

Cassandra Wilson, born on December 4, 1955, is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and music producer. She comes from Jackson, Mississippi. Many people consider her one of the most successful female jazz singers. A famous music critic, Gary Giddins, said she has a unique voice and style. Cassandra Wilson has made jazz music even bigger by adding sounds from blues, country, and folk music. She has won many awards, including two Grammy Awards. In 2001, Time magazine called her "America's Best Singer."

Growing Up with Music

Cassandra Wilson was the youngest of three children. Her father, Herman Fowlkes, Jr., was a guitarist, bassist, and music teacher. Her mother, Mary McDaniel, was an elementary school teacher. Her parents loved music, which helped Cassandra become interested in it from a young age. Her mother enjoyed Motown music, and her father loved jazz.

Cassandra started learning music formally when she was young. She took piano lessons from age six to thirteen. She also played the clarinet in her middle school's concert and marching bands. When she wanted to try something new, she asked her father to teach her guitar. He encouraged her to learn on her own using method books. This helped her develop her own "intuitive" way of playing. During this time, she began writing her own songs in a folk style. She also performed in school plays, like playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Cassandra went to Millsaps College and Jackson State University. She earned a degree in mass communications. While studying, she sang with R&B, funk, and pop cover bands at night. She also performed in local coffeehouses. A group called the Black Arts Music Society gave her her first chances to sing bebop jazz. In 2007, she received an honorary PhD in Arts from Millsaps College.

In 1981, she moved to New Orleans to work at a TV station. But she soon realized she wanted to focus on jazz. She got encouragement from jazz musicians like Earl Turbinton and Ellis Marsalis, Jr.. The next year, she moved to New York City to pursue her music career.

Joining the M-Base Collective

In New York, Cassandra Wilson focused on improvisation, which is making up music as you go. She was inspired by singers Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter. She improved her singing style and scat singing (singing with nonsense syllables). She also met saxophonist Steve Coleman. He encouraged her to create her own music instead of just singing old jazz songs.

Cassandra became a founding member and singer of the M-Base collective. This was a group of musicians led by Steve Coleman. They mixed the sounds of funk and soul with traditional and avant-garde jazz. Their music was complex but also had familiar sounds from rock and funk. Cassandra's voice fit well into their unique musical style. She sang on many of Steve Coleman's albums, starting with Motherland Pulse in 1985.

She also toured with an avant-garde jazz group called New Air. They recorded an album together in Italy called Air Show No. 1 (1987).

Starting a Solo Career

Cassandra Wilson began her solo career with the record label JMT. Her first album as a leader was Point of View in 1986. Most of her albums with JMT featured her own original songs. Her deep, rich voice, called a contralto, became more noticeable on these recordings. She learned to stretch and change notes and sounds in amazing ways.

While these early albums showed her talent, she became widely known for her album of jazz standards, Blue Skies (1988). In 1993, she signed with Blue Note Records. This was a big moment in her career, and her albums started selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

Starting with Blue Light 'Til Dawn (1993), Cassandra began to mix different types of music. She sang songs that blended blues, pop, jazz, world music, and country. She performed her own songs and jazz standards, but also covered songs by artists like Robert Johnson, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, and Hank Williams.

Her 1996 album, New Moon Daughter, won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. In 1997, she sang with Wynton Marsalis on his special music piece, Blood on the Fields, which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Miles Davis, a famous jazz musician, was a big influence on Cassandra. In 1989, she opened for him at a jazz festival. In 1999, she released Traveling Miles, an album honoring Miles Davis. This album came from concerts she performed at Lincoln Center to celebrate his music.

Personal Life

Cassandra Wilson was married to Anthony Wilson from 1981 to 1983.

She has a son named Jeris, who was born in the late 1980s. Her song "Out Loud (Jeris' Blues)" on her album She Who Weeps is dedicated to him. For many years, she and her son lived in Sugar Hill, New York City. Their apartment had once belonged to famous people like Count Basie, Lena Horne, and boxer Joe Louis.

From 2000 to 2003, Cassandra was married to actor Isaach de Bankolé. He directed her in a concert film called Traveling Miles: Cassandra Wilson (2000).

Cassandra and her mother are both members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Awards and Recognitions

Cassandra Wilson has received many awards and honors for her music:

  • 1994–1996: Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year, Down Beat magazine
  • 1997: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for New Moon Daughter
  • 1999: Miles Davis Prize, Montreal International Jazz Festival
  • 2001: Named "America's Best Singer" by Time
  • 2003: Honorary doctorate in the Arts, Millsaps College
  • 2009: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Loverly
  • 2010: Added to the Mississippi Blues Trail
  • 2010: Best Vocal Album, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll for Silver Pony
  • 2011: Best Traditional Jazz Album, BET Soul Train Award for Silver Pony
  • 2015: Honorary doctorate in Fine Arts, The New School
  • 2015: Spirit of Ireland Award, Irish Arts Centre
  • 2020: Honorary doctorate in Music, Berklee College of Music

Albums by Cassandra Wilson

Here are some of the albums Cassandra Wilson has released as a leader:

  • Point of View (1986)
  • Days Aweigh (1987)
  • Blue Skies (1988)
  • Jumpworld (1990)
  • Live (1991)
  • She Who Weeps (1991)
  • Dance to the Drums Again (1992)
  • After the Beginning Again (1992)
  • Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993)
  • New Moon Daughter (1995)
  • Rendezvous with Jacky Terrasson (1997)
  • Traveling Miles (1999)
  • Belly of the Sun (2002)
  • Glamoured (2003)
  • Thunderbird (2006)
  • Loverly (2008)
  • Silver Pony (2010)
  • Another Country (2012)
  • Coming Forth by Day (2015)

She has also appeared on many albums as a guest singer with other artists, including:

See also

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