Sweet Baby J'ai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sweet Baby J'ai
Sweet Baby J'ai performing in October 2016
Background information
Birth name	J'ai Janett Michel
Genres	Jazz, R&B, pop, soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, playwright
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Sunset Music Group

J'ai Janett Michel, known professionally as Sweet Baby J'ai, is an American artist. She is famous for her amazing voice in jazz music. She also writes songs, produces music, and even writes plays!

Early Life and Musical Roots

Sweet Baby J'ai grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She started writing songs when she was only five years old! By age eight, she was already visiting clubs where her dad played guitar.

Music runs in her family. Her uncle, Vernon Gower, was a bassist for jazz legends like Billie Holiday and Lionel Hampton. Her cousin, Michael Howell, played guitar for Dizzy Gillespie.

Music Career

In the 1980s, Sweet Baby J'ai moved to Los Angeles. There, she took lessons from Phil Moore, a famous music coach. She performed with talented musicians like Teddy Edwards and Phil Upchurch.

For many years, she worked closely with pianist Nate Morgan, guitarist Ronald Muldrow, and drummer Sherman Ferguson.

Albums and Collaborations

Sweet Baby J'ai released her first album, The Art of Blue, in 1998. Her second album, Evolution, followed in 2003. Both albums featured Nate Morgan and Teddy Edwards.

In 2005, she released Jazz Baby. For this album, she worked with well-known singers like Janis Siegel, Freddie Cole, and Rosemary Clooney. She also contributed to a jazz album made especially for children.

Her 2008 album, Prove It On Me, was a soundtrack for a play. Sweet Baby J'ai also starred in this play, which had the same name.

Acting and Playwriting

Sweet Baby J'ai is not just a singer; she is also an actress and playwright! She has appeared in several plays, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, C'est Bon, and Spunk.

She earned great praise for her role as Billie Holiday in the musicals Sang Sista' Sang and Voices. She also played Beneatha in the famous play A Raisin in the Sun.

Sweet Baby J'ai also helped write and starred in the play 3 Women: A Dramatic Tribute to the Divas of Jazz. She wrote the film Bessie, Billie & Ruth. This film was chosen for the Pan African Film Festival and was shown on PBS.

Discography

• 1998: The Art of Blue
• 2003: Evolution
• 2005: Jazz Baby
• 2007: Prove It On Me
• 2008: Introducing J'ai Michel

Filmography

• 2001: Yo Alien (Daughters to Feed Productions)
• 2002: Divas Breaking Taboos (Traipsing Thru Films)
• 2003: Bessie, Billie Ruth (Traipsing Thru Films)
• 2008: World Stage Stories (Haikeem Productions)