Dee Dee Bridgewater facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dee Dee Bridgewater
Background information
Birth name	Denise Eileen Garrett
Born	(1950-05-27) May 27, 1950 (age 75) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Origin	Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Jazz Smooth jazz R&B Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress, record producer, songwriter, UN goodwill ambassador, radio host
Years active	1966–present
Labels	DDB Records, Sony Masterworks, OKeh Records, Verve, Elektra, MCA
Associated acts	Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Horace Silver, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, Theo Croker, China Moses, Ray Charles, Stanley Clarke, Sarah Vaughn, Max Roach, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock

Dee Dee Bridgewater (born Denise Eileen Garrett on May 27, 1950) is an amazing American jazz singer and actress. She has won three Grammy Awards for her music and a Tony Award for her acting on stage. For 23 years, she hosted a popular radio show called JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. She is also a special ambassador for the United Nations to help fight world hunger.

About Dee Dee Bridgewater

Early Life and Music

Dee Dee Bridgewater was born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee. She grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Matthew Garrett, was a jazz trumpeter and teacher. He introduced her to jazz music very early on.

When she was 16, Dee Dee sang in a rock and R&B group in clubs in Michigan. At 18, she studied at Michigan State University and later at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1969, she even toured the Soviet Union with her school's jazz band.

Starting Her Jazz Career

In 1970, she met and married trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater. They moved to New York City, where her jazz career truly began. In the early 1970s, Dee Dee became the main singer for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

She performed with many famous jazz musicians like Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dexter Gordon. In 1973, she performed at the well-known Monterey Jazz Festival.

Broadway Star and First Album

In 1974, Dee Dee released her first solo album, Afro Blue. That same year, she starred on Broadway in the musical The Wiz. She played Glinda the Good Witch and won a Tony Award in 1975 for "Best Featured Actress." The musical also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 1976.

In concert in 1990

After The Wiz, she appeared in other stage shows. In 1986, she moved to Paris, France. That year, she played Billie Holiday in a show called Lady Day. She also recorded a song with Ray Charles called "Precious Thing."

Return to Jazz and Grammy Wins

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dee Dee returned to her jazz roots. She performed at big music festivals like the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990. In 1994, she worked with Horace Silver, a musician she had always admired, and released the album Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver.

Her 1997 album, Dear Ella, was a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. It won her a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 1998. Her 1998 album, Live at Yoshi's, was also nominated for a Grammy. She continued to explore different music styles, including songs by Kurt Weill and French classics.

Herbie Hancock and Bridgewater giving a masterclass to musicians in Rabat, Morocco

Her 2007 album, Red Earth, was inspired by Africa and featured musicians from Mali. Dee Dee tours often, performing all over the world. In 2009, she opened the Shanghai JZ Jazz Festival, singing songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.

Ambassador and Awards

As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, Dee Dee helps raise awareness and money to fight world hunger. She has also received special honorary doctorates from universities.

In 2017, Dee Dee received an NEA Jazz Masters Award, which is a very high honor in jazz music. In 2018, she received the Maria Fisher Founder's Award. In November 2019, she was added to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

Helping Others

Dee Dee Bridgewater has always been involved in helping others. Her work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and other awards led her to create The Woodshed Network. This program started in 2019.

The Woodshed Network helps women in jazz music. It provides support, advice, and a community for them to grow their careers. Dee Dee works with her daughter, Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski, on this project. The program helps young female musicians by connecting them with experienced mentors.

Acting Roles

Dee Dee Bridgewater has also acted in movies and TV shows. She appeared in the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh and the 1984 film The Brother from Another Planet. She also made guest appearances in the TV shows Benson and Highlander: The Series.

Here are some of her film and television roles:

• Everybody Rides the Carousel, 1976
• The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh as Brandy, 1979
• Benson as Michelle, 1980
• Another Life as Samantha Marshall, 1982
• Night Partners as Gloria, 1983
• The Wiz as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South (TV version), 1983
• The Brother from Another Planet as Malverne Davis, 1984
• Highlander: The Series as Carolyn Lamb, 1993
• Falstaff on the Moon (short film), 1993
• Corps plongés (It's Not About Love), 1998
• Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure as Molly, 2007

Family Life

Dee Dee Bridgewater has three children. Her eldest daughter, Tulani Bridgewater, is from her marriage to Cecil Bridgewater. Her daughter China Moses is from her marriage to director Gilbert Moses. Her son, Gabriel Durand, is from her marriage to Jean-Marie Durand.

Tulani, her oldest daughter, manages Dee Dee's career and runs her production company and record label. Dee Dee's daughter, China Moses, is also a talented singer, songwriter, and radio host. She has gained international fame and sometimes performs with her mother.

Awards and Achievements

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are very important music awards. Dee Dee Bridgewater has won two Grammys and been nominated eight times.

Other Honors

• First American to be inducted into the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie (a French-speaking council)
• Officier dans l’ordre de la Légion d’Honneur Award (France), 2025
• Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Award (France)
• Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, The Wiz, 1975
• Laurence Olivier Award Nomination, Best Actress in a Musical, Lady Day, 1987
• AUDELCO Award, Outstanding Performance in a Musical-Female, Lady Day, 2014
• ASCAP Foundation Champion Award, 2017
• NEA Jazz Masters, 2017
• Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, 2018
• Thelonious Monk Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Maria Fisher Founder's Award, 2018
• German Jazz Trophy ^[de] – A Life for Jazz Award, 2019
• Memphis Music Hall of Fame, 2019

Music Albums

Here are some of Dee Dee Bridgewater's albums:

Guest Appearances

Dee Dee Bridgewater has also sung on albums by other artists:

• Frank Foster – The Loud Minority (1972)
• Stanley Clarke – Children of Forever (1973)
• Roy Ayers – Coffy (1973) – as Denise Bridgewater
• Buddy Terry – Lean on Him (1973)
• Norman Connors – Love from the Sun (1974)
• Cecil McBee – Mutima (1974)
• Charles Sullivan – Genesis (1974)
• Carlos Garnett — Black Love (1974)
• Stanley Clarke – I Wanna Play for You (1979)
• Hollywood Bowl Orchestra – Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996)
• Ray Brown — Some of My Best Friends Are...Singers (1998)
• BWB – Groovin' (2002)
• Christian McBride – Conversations with Christian (2011)

Film Soundtracks

Dee Dee Bridgewater's voice has also been featured in movies:

• Coffy (1973) — sang "Coffy Baby", "Coffy Is the Color (Main Title)" – as Denise Bridgewater
• Try This One for Size (1989)
• The Brother from Another Planet (1984) — sang "Getaway", "Boss of the Block"
• Présumé dangereux (1990) — sang "Turning Round"
• La Vengeance d'une Blonde (1994) – sang "People and Places" with Philip Bailey
• Monster-in-Law (2005) — sang "Into My Soul"
• Elsa & Fred (2014) — sang "Step 1"

See also

In Spanish: Dee Dee Bridgewater para niños