Female Jazz Musicians
Throughout history, there have been many women Jazz musicians who have made significant contribution to their field. The list includes many familiar and great female such as Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, Eva Cassidy, Norah Jones, Jill Scott. The women featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & Australia and many more countries.
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1
Billie Holiday(One of the Greatest Jazz Singers from the 1930s to the 1950s)
Birthdate: April 7, 1915
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: July 17, 1959
Jazz legend Billie Holiday had a tumultuous childhood and ended up in prison due to prostitution. Upon her release, at 14, she started singing using her pseudonym and performed at sold-out Carnegie Hall shows. Nicknamed Lady Day, she was riddled with alcohol and drug issues. She won four posthumous Grammys.
2
Sia
(Australian Pop Singer Known for Such Hits as 'Chandelier,' 'Elastic Heart' and 'Clap Your Hands')
Birthdate: December 18, 1975
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Australian singer-songwriter, voice-actress and director Sia Furler rose to fame with albums like We Are Born. Moving on, she bolstered her career with albums like 1000 Forms of Fear that debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and singles like Cheap Thrills, her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one. Furler has also co-written hit songs like Diamonds, Titanium and Wild Ones.
Birthdate: March 23, 1953
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois
Ten-time Grammy-winning funk/R&B/disco artist Chaka Khan, or the Queen of Funk, soared to fame as the frontwoman of the band Rufus. Known for her hit track I Feel for You, Khan has sold 70 million records and has ranked 17th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll list.
Birthdate: May 1, 1945
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lafayette, Tennessee, United States
Birthdate: May 26, 1920
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Jamestown, North Dakota, United States
Died: January 21, 2002
6
Eva Cassidy
(Singer, Guitarist)
Birthdate: February 2, 1963
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States
Died: November 2, 1996
7
Judith Durham
(Singer, Jazz musician, Pianist, Songwriter)
Birthdate: July 3, 1943
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Essendon
Judith Durham is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. In 1963, she became the lead singer of the popular folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers, which became the first Australian pop band to achieve major sales and chart success in the United States and the United Kingdom. Her services to music earned her the title Victorian of the Year in 2015.
Birthdate: November 14, 1939
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA
9
Esperanza Spalding
(Music educator, Jazz musician, Singer)
Birthdate: October 18, 1984
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Portland
10
Cindy Breakspeare(Canadian-Jamaican Jazz Singer, Musician and Winner of Miss World 1976 )
Birthdate: October 24, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Cindy Breakspeare is a Canadian-Jamaican jazz singer, musician, and beauty queen. She was crowned Miss World 1976, becoming the second Jamaican to clinch the crown. She later became a recording artist and entrepreneur, founding a Rastafarian craft store called Ital Craf. She was once in a relationship with reggae musician Bob Marley that lasted until his death.
Birthdate: March 27, 1924
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: April 3, 1990
Birthdate: August 27, 1937
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died: January 12, 2007
13
Melody Gardot
(Singer-songwriter, Jazz musician, Singer, Composer, Pianist)
Birthdate: February 2, 1985
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New Jersey
14
Ethel Waters
(Actor, Singer, Jazz musician, Stage actor)
Birthdate: October 31, 1896
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Chester County
Died: September 1, 1977
Birthdate: November 18, 1959
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Yellow Springs, Ohio
16
Yoko Kanno
(Composer, Singer)
Birthdate: March 18, 1963
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
17
Keely Smith
(Jazz Singer Who Released Hits Like ‘That Old Black Magic’ and ‘I Wish You Love’)
Birthdate: March 9, 1928
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died: December 16, 2017
18
Kate Higgins
(Actor, Singer, Jazz musician, Pianist)
Birthdate: August 16, 1969
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Charlottesville
19
Rachael Price
(Singer, Musician)
Birthdate: August 30, 1985
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
20
Mica Paris
(Actor, Singer, Jazz musician)
Birthdate: April 27, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London
21
Candy Dulfer
(Dutch Jazz and Pop Saxophonist Known for Her Album 'Saxuality')
Birthdate: September 19, 1969
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Candy Dulfer is a Dutch saxophonist best known for her solo career as well as for her association with the band The Ladies of Soul. Dulfer became a household name in the Netherlands in 2013 when she started appearing as a jury member in the popular TV show X-Factor. During the 1990s, Candy Dulfer won many Conamus Export Prizes.
22
Ximena Sariñana
(Actor, Singer, Jazz musician, Television actor, Film actor, Songwriter)
Birthdate: October 29, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Guadalajara
Ximena Sariñana is a Mexican actress and singer-songwriter whose debut album Mediocre earned her international recognition and a Grammy nomination in 2009. Ximena Sariñana is also known for her humanitarian efforts; in 2020, she took part in a charity single titled Resistiré México in an attempt to help those in need in Mexico.
23
Cleo Laine
(Actress, Singer)
Birthdate: October 28, 1927
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Uxbridge, Middlesex, England
24
Gabriella Cilmi
(Australian Singer Renowned For Her Raspy Singing Voice)
Birthdate: October 10, 1991
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: City of Greater Dandenong
25
Elis Regina
(Brazilian Singer of Popular and Jazz Music)
Birthdate: March 17, 1945
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Died: January 19, 1982
Elis Regina was a Brazilian singer who achieved national recognition in 1965 when she performed Arrastão on TV Excelsior. Best remembered for her interpretation and vocalization, Regina helped popularize tropicalismo in the late-1960s and early-1970s. Elis Regina's life, career, and untimely death at age 36 inspired a film titled Elis where she was played by Andréia Horta.
26
Lucia Micarelli
(Actor, Jazz musician, Violinist, Television actor)
Birthdate: July 9, 1983
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York City
27
Gin Wigmore
(Singer, Jazz musician, Songwriter)
Birthdate: June 6, 1986
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Auckland
Gin Wigmore is a New Zealand singer-songwriter best known for her raspy and high pitched voice. Over the course of her career, Gin Wigmore has received several New Zealand Music Awards and a couple of nominations for the prestigious MTV Europe Music Awards.
28
Stacey Kent
(Jazz musician, Singer, Radio personality)
Birthdate: March 27, 1968
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: City of Orange Township
29
Mary Lou Williams
(American jazz pianist)
Birthdate: May 8, 1910
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Died: May 28, 1981
30
Lee Aaron
(Singer, Jazz musician, Songwriter)
Birthdate: July 21, 1962
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Belleville
31
Julie Driscoll
(English Actress and Singer)
Birthdate: June 8, 1947
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London
Julie Driscoll is an English actress and singer best known for her '60s version of Rick Danko and Bob Dylan's This Wheel's on Fire. Driscoll's version of the song became the unofficial anthem of the psychedelic subculture era in British rock music.
32
Nikki Yanofsky
(Singer, Vocalist, Jazz musician)
Birthdate: February 8, 1994
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Montreal
Montreal-based singer Nikki Yanofsky was 12 when she became the youngest artist to headline a show at the Montreal Jazz Festival. At 15, she was already an international star. Her credits include the 2010 Winter Olympics theme song, I Believe, which rocked the Canadian charts. She is also associated with children’s charities.
33
Carla Bley
(Known for Her Jazz Opera 'Escalator Over the Hill')
Birthdate: May 11, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States
34
Adelaide Hall
(Singer, Artist, Jazz musician, Actor, Stage actor)
Birthdate: October 20, 1901
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City
Died: November 7, 1993
35
Gunhild Carling
(Musician)
Birthdate: May 7, 1975
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden
36
Akiko Yano
(Singer-songwriter, Jazz musician)
Birthdate: February 13, 1955
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
37
Jane Siberry
(Singer, Songwriter, Jazz musician)
Birthdate: October 12, 1955
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Toronto
38
Flora Purim
(Jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style)
Birthdate: March 6, 1942
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Flora Purim is a Brazilian singer best known for her contribution to the jazz fusion style. She achieved popularity when she contributed to the success of the popular American jazz fusion band, Return to Forever. Referred to as the Queen of Brazilian Jazz, Flora Purim has also performed with several other artistes like Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, and Gil Evans.
39
Marian McPartland
(Pianist, Radio personality, Composer, Jazz musician)
Birthdate: March 20, 1918
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Slough
Died: August 20, 2013
40
Susheela Raman
(Singer, Jazz musician whose debut album Salt Rain was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2001)
Birthdate: July 21, 1973
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hendon, London, England, United Kingdom
41
Esthero
(Singer, Jazz musician, Songwriter)
Birthdate: December 23, 1978
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Stratford
Birthdate: May 1, 1934
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Died: October 20, 2005
Birthdate: February 4, 1943
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sherman Oaks, California, USA
44
Clare Teal
(Jazz musician, Singer)
Birthdate: May 14, 1973
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kildwick
45
Kayah
(Singer-songwriter performing a variety of music genres, including pop, soul, jazz, world and dance.)
Birthdate: November 5, 1967
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Kayah is a Polish singer and songwriter best known for her expertise in a variety of music genres, such as dance, world, pop, soul, and jazz. Since 1995, when she released her first self-written album, Kayah has been recognized as one of the most commercially and critically successful Polish singers. She is also credited with co-founding her record label Kayax.
46
Anna Maria Jopek
(Singer, songwriter, musician who collaborated on an album with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny)
Birthdate: December 14, 1970
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Anna Maria Jopek is a Polish vocalist, improviser, and songwriter. She achieved national prominence when she competed in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest where she represented her country with the song Ale jestem. Over the years, Anna Maria Jopek has been successful, winning awards such as Michel Legrand's Personal Award among others.
47
Marion Montgomery
(Singer, Musician)
Birthdate: November 17, 1934
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Natchez, Mississippi, United States
Died: July 22, 2002
48
Sophie Milman
(singer, jazz musician)
Birthdate: 1983 AD
Birthplace: Ufa
49
Valaida Snow
(Jazz musician)
Birthdate: June 2, 1904
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Died: May 30, 1956
50
Helen Jones Woods
(Jazz musician)
Birthdate: September 30, 1923
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
Died: July 25, 2020