Jeanie Bryson

Jeanie Bryson (born March 10, 1958) is an American singer who sings a combination of jazz, pop, and Latin music. Her repertoire is based on jazz and pop standards from the Great American Songbook and Peggy Lee and Dinah Washington.

Jeanie Bryson
Born (1958-03-10) March 10, 1958
New York City, U.S.
GenresJazz, pop, Latin
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1993–present
LabelsKoch, Telarc

Life and career

Bryson is the daughter of composer Connie Bryson and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.[1][2] Her paternity was kept a secret until after Gillespie's death because he was married, but she occasionally saw him growing up.[3] In 1998 Bryson filed a lawsuit against his widow, Lorraine Willis, after her lawyer found court records from 1965 in which Gillespie admitted he was her father. She reached a settlement with his estate.[4]

Bryson grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey.[3] She began playing instruments at a young age, piano in first grade and then flute in fifth grade.[3] Bryson attended East Brunswick High School. She studied ethnomusicology at Livingstone College; graduated in 1981.[3][1] That year, she performed with her father in Salem County, singing "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday.[3] After college she worked in a post office during the week and sang on weekends, by the end of the 1980s she was singing full-time.[3] Bryson released her debut album, I Love Being Here With You, on Telarc in 1993. Her mother contributed the lyrics to two songs on the album.[3] Bryson also sang on an album by Terence Blanchard devoted to Billie Holiday songs.[1]

Bryson has a son, Radji Birks Bryson-Barrett, from the first of her two marriages.[3] Her husband, guitarist Coleman Mellett, died in the February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407.[5] The couple lived in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey.

Discography
Year Title Genre Label Notes
1993 I Love Being Here With You Jazz Telarc [6]
1994 Tonight I Need You So Jazz Telarc [7]
1996 Some Cats Know: Jeanie Bryson Sings Songs of Peggy Lee Jazz Telarc [8]
2001 Deja Blue Jazz Koch [9]
2006 Live at the Warsaw Jamboree Jazz Festival 1991 Jazz Import [10]

References
  1. Yanow, Scott. "Jeanie Bryson". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  2. Vogel, Charity (February 14, 2009). "Passengers and crew aboard Flight 3407: Their stories". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  3. Smith, Richard D. (March 28, 1993). "Dizzy's Daughter Has Her Own Career in Jazz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  4. Smith, Greg B. (January 5, 2000). "Dizzy Gillespie Was Dad, She Sez, and Sues". nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  5. "N.J. musicians among victims of Continental plane crash near Buffalo". nj.com. February 13, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  6. Bryson, Jeanie (1993). I love being here with you. OCLC 696841593.
  7. Bryson, Jeanie (1994). Tonight I need you so. Telarc Jazz. OCLC 44082501.
  8. Bryson, Jeanie (1996). Some cats know: Jeanie Bryson sings songs of Peggy Lee. Telarc Jazz. OCLC 36635599.
  9. Bryson, Jeanie (2001). Deja blue. Koch Jazz. OCLC 49605176.
  10. Bryson, Jeanie (2005). Jeanie Bryson - Live at Warsaw Jazz Festival. Cascade. OCLC 699639173.
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