Singer Nancy Wilson. A sterling voice for the ages.
She’s gone now (February 20, 1937 – December 13, 2018). Those of us blessed to have been touched by her velvet tones and commanding storytelling will miss her dearly.
My personal history with the woman whom fellow singer Al Jarreau called the “Fancy Miss Nancy,” dates back to my childhood. Right around the corner from my family’s Bronx, New York apartment was a club called the Blue Morocco. My parents frequented this nightclub and heard Wilson during her first appearances there. When she started recording, her albums made their way onto my parents’ turntable – and into my heart.
I loved her voice!
During NYC’s sweltering summers, my mother and aunt regularly took my brother, cousins, and anyone else who was interested to free theater, dance and music concerts in Central Park. One concert that particularly sealed itself into my memory banks was a Central Park performance by Nancy Wilson. As a kid who sang with my friends in our own little R&B groups and later in city-wide choruses, Nancy Wilson’s musicality amazed me.
Her rendition of “Guess Who I Saw Today” was a showstopper – and made me a life-long fan!
I couldn’t believe it when many years later, I actually worked with Ms. Wilson. Not as a singer of course, but as one of the producers of Jazz Profiles, NPR’s award-winning series honoring jazz legends. Wilson was the series’ elegant host/narrator. And as a producer, I would get to shape specific episodes and write the narration Ms. Wilson would deliver. Talk about heaven!
The first time I walked into NPR’s studio with Ms. Wilson, I was excited – and nervous. Ms. Wilson stood in front of a microphone, donned some headphones and started reading the lines I had written. Now this was another kind of music! She brought her musicality and dramatic flair to the reading, and each Jazz Profiles producer worked hard to ensure that our scripts reflected Ms. Wilson’s personality, vocal sensibilities and musical knowledge.
In preparation for my work as a producer/writer for Jazz Profiles, and later for the Smithsonian Institution’s Jazz Singers radio series, I interviewed Ms. Wilson several times. She was a gracious interviewee. This child of the Bronx never imagined that I would be privy to this professionally meaningful interaction with one of my musical idols. But this just proves that life can be full of exhilarating surprises and wonderful opportunities.
I will miss the “Fancy Miss Nancy,” but we can all continue to treasure her endearing artistry and musical generosity.
Click on the links below to hear the Jazz Profiles shows I produced, narrated by Nancy Wilson, honoring dynamic singer/bandleader Betty Carter:
https://www.npr.org/2008/08/14/93572181/betty-carter-fiercely-individual
And trombonist/composer extraordinaire, Melba Liston:
https://www.npr.org/2008/07/09/92349036/melba-liston-bones-of-an-arranger