ARTISTS
The purpose of the "ARTISTS" column is to provide a brief biography of JAZZ artists, from legends to those who are less well known, but who are as good as the legends.
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing in Calcutta, India, with Teddy Weatherford's band, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. Witherspoon made his first records with Jay McShann's band in 1945. He first recorded under his own name in 1947, and two years later with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "Ain't Nobody's Business," a song that came to be regarded as his signature tune.
Lara Price is a survivor… Born in the war torn country of Vietnam in 1975 and abandoned at birth, Lara became a part of the controversial “Operation Baby Lift”, a mass evacuation of orphans from South Vietnam to the United States. As 90 percent of the orphaned babies did not survive, her journey out of Vietnam to her new home was nothing short of a miracle. Indeed, Lara is truly a survivor in every sense.
Singer, songwriter and producer, Jackie is a native of Virginia / USA, where she began her training as a singer at the Baptist Church. “This experience played an important role in her musical development, as she continued to sing gospel music for 20 years, but she felt called to the Blues”. Her quest to learn more about the Blues took her to Chicago.
Skyla Burrell was born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County, California. Skyla formed her first band at the age of 13 and has been a working musician ever since. Skyla played with several bands as a teenager and young adult, working her way up and down Southern California. She relocated to the East Coast in her early 20's where she continued learning and growing from her musical experiences and eventually co-forming the Skyla Burrell Band.
Coleman was born in Paris, Texas. He was working alongside Freddie King by the age of 15. He later supported Lightnin' Hopkins in concert and went on to form his own group. At this time he started simultaneously booking acts into nightclubs across three states, Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. This dual lifestyle in the Southwest continued for nearly twenty years.
He was born Arley Benton, in Texarkana, Arkansas. While residing in Toledo, Ohio, in the mid-1950s, and having been influenced by Sam Cooke and B.B. King, Benton began playing blues. By 1959, he was leading his own band in Chicago. During the 1960s, the local record labels Melloway, Alteen, Sonic, and Twinight released several singles by Benton.
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing in Calcutta, India, with Teddy Weatherford's band, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. Witherspoon made his first records with Jay McShann's band in 1945. He first recorded under his own name in 1947, and two years later with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "Ain't Nobody's Business," a song that came to be regarded as his signature tune.