Vocals, Piano (1924-1963)

Born Ruth Lee Jones on 29 August 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Around 1942 or 1943 she adopted the stage name Dinah Washington while working at the Garrick Stage Bar. Lionel Hampton heard her at the Garrick and hired her as his female band vocalist. She made her recording debut for Keynote in December 1943 with "Evil Gal Blues", written by Leonard Feather and backed by Hampton's band. She worked with Hampton from 1943 to 1946, then began a solo career. She signed to Mercury Records in 1948 and between 1948 and 1955 had 27 R&B top-10 hits. Both "Am I Asking Too Much" (1948) and "Baby Get Lost" (1949) reached number 1 on the R&B chart, while "I Wanna Be Loved" (1950) reached number 22 on the US Pop Chart. Her recordings included blues, standards, and pop covers. She recorded with Clifford Brown and Clark Terry on Dinah Jams (1954), and with Cannonball Adderley and Ben Webster. Between 1955 and 1961 she recorded with orchestras conducted by Quincy Jones. Her biggest hit "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" (1959) won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. She died on 14 December 1963 in Detroit aged 39. She was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.