Tender and warm with a ballad, Carmen McRae was one of the great singers of jazz, finding the depth of feeling in the lyrics of the songs she interpreted. An accomplished pianist who in her early career accompanied herself, she occasionally returned to the piano later in her career.
Wynona Carr (August 23, 1923 – May 11, 1976)[1] was an American gospel, R&B and rock and roll singer, pianist, and -songwriter, who recorded as Sister Wynona Carr when performing gospel material.
Alice Darr (April 22, 1930 – February 4, 2024) was an American jazz musician and songwriter. Alice grew up on Pine Avenue in Cumberland, Maryland, and attended the Carver School. At age seven, she won an amateur competition; at 17, she performed professionally. Her parents were extremely hard working and worked several jobs to provide for the family. Her father, James Darr, worked as a jazz musician with many well-known musicians of his time at the local level. Alice not only sang but learned to play the piano and snare drum at a young age. She first gained experience performing at the Cadillac Cocktail Lounge in downtown Cumberland, where she was eventually discovered by a brother of singer Nat King Cole. Soon after, she received a call from an agent in Pittsburgh, which led to a nationwide tour. She performed in New York, Miami Beach, Chicago, and Mexico, where she had engagements in supper clubs, including extended periods at The Toast (1068 First Avenue) and The Left Bank in Manhattan. Darr also performed all over the world, Television host Ed Sullivan wrote that she had "a lot of talent" in his column in the New York Daily News. Billboard magazine described Alice Darr as "talented, with the ability to project a ballad with feeling and warmth". The nationally syndicated show business columnist Earl Wislon, writing for the New York Post, described her as, "a lovely, charming, and vivacious girl".
Thelma Carpenter, the only child of Mary and Fred Carpenter, was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 15, 1922, and her career spanned seven decades.
Ketty Lester is a singer and actress best known for her chart-topping single “Love Letters,” as well as her appearance in the cult classic film Blacula (1972). Lester was a regular on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives and was especially known for her long-running role on the TV series Little House on the Prairie.