Nancy Wilson was a singer and occasional actress whose career spanned over five decades, from the mid-1950s until her retirement in early 2010. During her performing career, she was called a singer, a consummate actress and “the complete entertainer.” The title she preferred, however, was “song stylist”. She received many nicknames including “Sweet Nancy”, “The Baby”, “Fancy Miss Nancy” and “The Girl With the Honey-Coated Voice.” Proof positive of those laurels can be found in the performances below, as you listen to Nancy’s tender rendition of For Once In My Life and her energetic 1998 serenade of Quincy Jones at his 50th birthday tribute with the Ellington/Russell tune Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear From Me.
She walked into my studio wearing a floor length, white ermine coat. It was real. So was she. Nancy Wilson was known as a singer’s singer, boasting more than 70 albums and 3 Grammy Awards. While she has been recognized for her excellence in blues, jazz, R&B, pop and soul, for my money her greatest strength lies with jazz. Nancy is “the complete entertainer”. Here’s an interview from a few years back you can also find, along with many others, on our Jazz Scene Podcast page.
