Royal Chords: Dinah Washington

Photo Source: amazon.com

Dinah Washington, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as Ruth Lee Jones in 1924, began her vocal career in 1940 as a 16 year old girl in Chicago, Illinois.  Washington had moved to Chicago with her family at an early age and considered the city to be her "true home".  Dinah's reign as the "Queen of the Jukebox" would earn her several Grammy's, including one for her version of "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes". Dinah crossed pop barriers with records like "Unforgettable" and "This Bitter Earth".  Though her life was taken at the young age of 39 by a lethal and accidental combination of alcohol and pills, Dinah Washington's legacy is that of Pop and Jazz star royalty. 

Royal Chords on a Queen: Dinah Washington

Photo Source: jazzwax.com

Sources

1) "Dinah Washington: A Queen in Turmoil"; www.npr.org; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3872390; 2004

2) "Dinah Washington"; verve music group; http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/dinahwashington; 2015