Nora Jean Bruso facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nora Jean Bruso
Background information
Birth name	Elnora Jean Wallace
Also known as	Nora Jean Wallace Nora Jean
Born	(1956-06-21) June 21, 1956 (age 68) Greenwood, Mississippi, United States
Genres	Chicago blues, electric blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1970s–present
Labels	Red Hurricane Records, Severn Records

Nora Jean Bruso (born June 21, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter. She is famous for her Chicago blues and electric blues music. Nora Jean has written more than 700 songs! She has also worked with well-known musicians like Carl Weathersby and Dave Specter.

Another famous blues singer, Koko Taylor, once said that Nora Jean sounded just like her when she was younger. Koko believed Nora Jean would become a big star in the world of real blues music. The Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry even named Nora Jean one of the top ten women in Chicago blues. She has also been nominated many times for a Blues Music Award.

Nora Jean Bruso's Musical Journey

Elnora Jean Wallace was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1956. She grew up in a musical family. She was the seventh of 16 children. Her family worked on a farm in Mississippi.

Nora Jean won a talent show at West Tallahatchie High School for her singing. She then started performing at other schools nearby. In 1976, when she was 19, she moved to Chicago, Illinois. There, she began singing with a group called Scottie and the Oasis. Scottie passed away in 1982, but Nora Jean kept performing with other groups. Three years later, she joined Jimmy Dawkins' band.

Nora Jean recorded her first song, "Untrue Lover," on Dawkins' own Leric label. In 1985, she sang on one song for Dawkins' album, Feel the Blues. She was known as Nora Jean Wallace back then. Dawkins' band, including Nora Jean, performed at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1989. Nora Jean also sang on another Dawkins album, Kant Sheck Dees Bluze, in 1991.

In 1992, Nora Jean took a break from music to raise her two sons. Almost ten years later, Billy Flynn, who was also in Dawkins' band, encouraged her to record again. Nora Jean sang on four songs for the album Blues and Love in 2002. That same year, she sang backup with Dawkins again at the Chicago Blues Festival. She met and married Mark Bruso in 2002. Later that year, she recorded Nora Jean Bruso Sings the Blues. This album was released in 2003 by Red Hurricane Records. Nora Jean performed at the 2003 Chicago Blues Festival again, this time under her own name. She also toured in Europe.

In 2004, she was nominated for two W.C. Handy Awards. These awards are now called the Blues Music Awards. She was nominated for 'Best New Artist' and 'Best Traditional Female Artist'. That same year, she signed with Severn Records. She then released her album Going Back to Mississippi. This album was very successful. It reached number five on the Living Blues radio chart. It also hit number one on XM satellite radio. In June 2004, she returned to perform on the main stage at the Chicago Blues Festival with her own band. Her band included Carl Weathersby on guitar, Bruce Beglin on bass, and Brian Lupo on guitar. These musicians also played on her album Going Back to Mississippi.

Nora Jean continued to perform live at many festivals. These included the King Biscuit Blues Festival, Rawa Blues Festival, and Notodden Blues Festival in 2005. She also performed at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival in 2008. Other festivals included the Cape May Jazz Festival and Pocono Blues Festival. She appeared again at the Chicago Blues Festival in 2011. In 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper noted her work with Little Bobby. Their collaboration on his album, Good Blues, helped Nora Jean get her seventh Blues Music Award nomination. This nomination was for 'Best Traditional Female Blues Performer'.

In June 2014, she performed with Lurrie Bell's Chicago Blues Band in France. In July 2015, she sang at the Kingston Mines club in Chicago.

Nora Jean Bruso currently lives in La Porte, Indiana. In 2020, she released her newest album, Blues Woman.

Nora Jean's Albums

Images for kids

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  Nora Jean Bruso performing at Rawa Blues Festival in 2010.