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| Dee Dee Bridgewater |
| The stunningly beautiful Bridgewater is touted as one of the modern era's most respected jazz singers....so why is she here in The DiscoMuseum? One recording, a personal favorite, affords her a tribute here. Denise Grant was born along the mighty Mississippi river in Memphis on May 27, 1950. Her father Matthew was a trumpeteer and teacher, he exposed young Denise to his love of jazz at an early age. The youngster enjoyed the many records her father played her, especially those of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley. Naturally she sang along and her career path was born. By the age of 16 she was in a vocal trio that specialized in R&B and rock cover versions. The family had relocated to Clinton Michigan and naturally an audition with nearby Motown was inevitable. But the label turned her down, not for her lack of talent, but because of the groups young age. When Denise was 18 years old, she attended Michigan State University and joined saxophonist Andy Courtridge's group. Then in 1969, she transferred to the University of Illinois, where she was noticed by John Garvey, the University's Jazz Band Director who hired her for a tour. In 1970, Denise met and married Cecil Bridgewater. After their marriage they moved to New York so Cecil could play in Horace Silver's band. Around this time Denise became known as Dee Dee. A longtime fan of Silver, Dee Dee idolized the genius and vowed one day to sing his songs. In 1971, her own career began to take off. That year, Dee Dee joined the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra with whom she sang for 4 years. During those years, Dee Dee was afforded the opportunity to work with other jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Max Roach. 1974 was a pivotal year for Dee Dee, she audtioned for and landed the role of Glinda The Good Witch in Broadway's hit musical The Wiz. The show gave birth to several budding disco careers, Evelyn Thomas, Tasha Thomas, Luther Vandross and Stephanie Mills all went from the show to have major club success. In 1976 she won a Tony Award for her performances and landed her first recording contract with Atlantic Records. Her first release was simply entitled "Dee Dee Bridgewater" and contained a saucy version of the Hall & Oates hit "He's Gone" alongside ballad and fast versions of "My Prayer" and material by Allen Toussaint and Tom Bahler. The album, though good, sold poorly and disappeared quickly. With her recent success in the new millenium Atlantic has reissued it on compact disc. Needless to say at the time the label dropped her contract. Long before Demi Moore posed naked and pregnant on the cover of a magazine, Dee Dee graced the cover of her 1977 Elektra records debut album barefoot and pregnant. "Just Family" was produced by Stanley Clarke and employs a lot of musicians who had jazz backgrounds — including Chick Corea, George Duke, Airto Moreira, and Bobby Lyle but this is an R&B album first and foremost. |
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| For this album she was emphasizing adult-oriented R&B and going after fans of artists like Phyllis Hyman and Minnie Riperton. The strongest tracks on this LP, which was recorded when Bridgewater was 27, range from the playful title song and the Earth, Wind & Fire-ish "Children Are The Spirit (Of The World)" to the dreamy "Sweet Rain" and an emotional cover of Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word." Also noteworthy is the Brazilian-influenced "Night Moves," a Michael Franks tune. But once again Bridgewater had a difficult time finding an audience for this record. Here was this magnificent voice and record label executives kept trying to push it into R&B and pop grooves. And ironically no one knew how to market her. But as with her earlier release once she made a name for herself in the jazz world the label would re-release this album to a hungry audience. |
| With lackluster sales Dee Dee and Elektra held off for a year to assess her options. When she made her 1979 album she went for a more disco approach while still covering R&B and pop numbers. "Bad For Me" would be her best selling album to date, largely because of the club play generated by the 12" single of the title track. But Elektra still tried to push her as a pop princess and a third album, 1980's "Dee Dee Bridgewater" fulfilled her contract and finished her off for the American market, at least for the time being. Throughly disenchanted with the American music scene and in search of a broader acceptance Bridgewater moved to France in the early 1980's. She discovered Paris while touring there in "Sophisticated Ladies" and after earning rave reviews she finally felt an acceptance she had not had in the U.S. In 1986, she played the role of Billie Holiday in the show "Lady Day" once again she earned rave reviews. In 1987, Bridgewater released her first album recorded in France. "Live In Paris" also marked her return to singing jazz. The French public loved this album, and it opened up a whole new career for Dee Dee in France. Then in 1991, she co-starred with Archie Shepp in "Black Ballad" and in 1992, she released another live album titled "Live In Montreux." Horace Silver heard this album and decided the time was right for him to record with Dee Dee. So, in 1994 Dee Dee released "Love And Peace: A Tribute To Horace Silver." In 1997, Dee Dee released the album, "Dear Ella" which was a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. The album earned her a worldwide audience and 2 Grammy awards. 1998 brought the highly acclaimed "Victim Of Love" album and most recently she has released "This Is New." Since turning back to jazz and signing with Verve Records Dee Dee has become one of the world's most respected jazz vocalists and tours the world to delighted fans. |
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