Top Ten Female Jazz Singers before the New Millennium

[jazzharbinger07]

1. Billy Holiday
2. Sara Vaughn
3. Ella Fitzgerald
4. Nina Simone
5. Nancy Wilson
6. Helen Hughes
7. Flora Purim
8. Anita Oday
9. Ella Jones
10. Dinah Washington

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Originally Posted by jazzharbinger07

9. Ella Jones

????



Billie Holiday (Billy's sister, I think)

Anita O'Day

Ella Fitzgerald

Sarah Vaughan

Carmen McRae

Dinah Washington

Lauren Newton

Lee Wiley

June Christie

Abbie Lincoln

Sheila Jordan

Peggy Lee

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by jazzharbinger07

1. Billy Holiday
2. Sara Vaughn

6. Helen Hughes

8. Anita Oday
9. Ella Jones

1. Billie Holiday
2. Sarah Vaughan

6. Helen Humes?

8. Anita O'Day

9. Etta Jones?

[mjb]

The airhead morning talking head on jazz.fm here in Toronto recently called Ms. Washington Diana ... twice ... while professing to find her singing "great."

[crawjo]

I can't list ten because jazz singers aren't really my thing, but my favorites that I have heard are Billie Holiday and Patricia Barber.

[Peter]

1. Billie Holiday
2. Carmen McRae
3. Anita O'Day
4. Chris Connor
5. Helen Merrill
6. June Christy
7. Jeanne Lee
8. June Tyson
9. Sarah Vaughn
10. Mildred Bailey

I didn't plan it that way, but I picked an equal number of black and white singers!

[AntManBee]

It is perhaps debatable whether she qualifies as jazz, but I think she nevertheless deserves being mentioned: Annette Peacock.