Blossom Dearie

Blossom Dearie

Dearie in the 1950s
Background information
Birth name Margrethe Blossom Dearie
Born (1924-04-28)April 28, 1924
East Durham, New York, United States
Died February 7, 2009(2009-02-07) (aged 84)
Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, United States
Genres Vocal jazz, cool jazz, swing, traditional pop
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 1952–2006
Labels Verve/PolyGram
Daffodil Records
Barclay/PolyGram Records
Capitol/EMI Records
Associated acts The Swingle Singers
Mike Renzi
Johnny Mercer
Bob Dorough
Notable instruments
Voice
Piano

Margrethe Blossom Dearie[1][lower-alpha 1][2] (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist.[3] She is recognized and remembered for her light and girlish voice.[4][5][2][3] One of the last supper club/cabaret performers,[3] she performed regular engagements in London and New York City over many years.[4][2] She collaborated with many musicians, including Johnny Mercer, Al Haywood, Miles Davis,[3][6] Jack Segal, Johnny Mandel, Duncan Lamont, Mariah Blackwolf, Sandra Harris, Walter Birchett, Dave Frishberg, Len Saltzberg, Michael Conner, and Jim Council.[7]

Early life

Dearie was born on April 28, 1924,[lower-alpha 2] in East Durham, New York,[8] to a father of Scots Irish (Ulster) descent and a mother of Norwegian descent. She reportedly received the unusual name Blossom because of "a neighbor who delivered peach blossoms to her house the day she was born",[9] although she once recalled it was her brothers who brought the flowers to the house.[1]

As a child she studied classical piano but switched to jazz in her teens when she joined a high school band.

Career

Beginnings

After high school, Dearie moved to New York City[7] to pursue a music career. Dropping her first name,[2] she began to sing in groups such as the Blue Flames (with the Woody Herman Orchestra)[1] and the Blue Reys (with Alvino Rey's band) before starting her solo career.[4]

Dearie moved to Paris in 1952. She formed a vocal group, the Blue Stars (1952–1955),[1][5] which included Michel Legrand's sister, Christiane Legrand, and Bob Dorough. In 1954 the group had a hit in France with a French-language version of "Lullaby of Birdland",[1] arranged by Michel Legrand.[6] The Blue Stars would later evolve into The Swingle Singers.[6] On her first solo album, released two years later, she played the piano but did not sing.[4]

One of Dearie's most famous songs from that period is "The Riviera", which was written and composed by Cy Coleman and Joseph McCarthy Jr. in 1956.[4]

Late 1950s and 1960s

After returning from France in 1957,[1] Dearie made her first six American albums as a solo singer and pianist for Verve Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s, mostly in a small trio or quartet setting. Dave Garroway, host of The Today Show and an early fan of Dearie, featured her on several occasions, increasing her exposure with the popular audience. In 1962, she recorded a radio commercial for Hires Root Beer. As it proved very popular, the LP Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs was released as a premium item that could be ordered for one dollar and a proof of purchase.

In 1952, Dearie and King Pleasure recorded "I'm in the Mood for Love" (a.k.a. "Moody's Mood for Love") and this is so noted on the Prestige album King Pleasure Sings. In 1964, she recorded the album May I Come In? (Capitol/EMI Records). It was recorded (atypically for her) with an orchestra. During this same period, she performed frequently at New York supper clubs and in 1966 made her first appearance at Ronnie Scott's club in London. She recorded four albums in the United Kingdom during the 1960s that were released on the Fontana label.

1970s and later

After a period of inactivity, Dearie recorded the album That's Just the Way I Want to Be (containing the cult song "Dusty Springfield", an ode to the British pop star, co-written by Dearie with Norma Tanega), which was released in 1970. In 1974, Dearie established her own label, Daffodil Records, which allowed her to have full control of the recording and distribution of her albums. Dearie appeared on television throughout her career, most notably giving her voice to the children's educational series Schoolhouse Rock!. Some of her pieces in this series were written by her good friend Bob Dorough, the jazz singer and composer with whom she performed in Paris in the 1950s. Her voice can be heard on "Mother Necessity", "Figure Eight", and "Unpack Your Adjectives".[10][11]

The songwriter Johnny Mercer, with whom Dearie collaborated for her 1975 song "I'm Shadowing You",[5] gave one of his final compositions to her for the title song of her 1976 Daffodil album My New Celebrity is You.[9][12] According to Dearie, she and Mercer were close friends.[1]

In 1983, Dearie was awarded the first Mabel Mercer Foundation Award.[7]

Other

Dearie's voice and songs have been featured on the soundtracks of several films, including Kissing Jessica Stein, My Life Without Me, The Squid and the Whale, The Adventures of Felix, and The Artist. She also recorded songs with other singers, including Lyle Lovett. She continued to perform in clubs until 2006.[5] Among her most requested songs were "Peel Me a Grape", "I'm Hip" and "Quality Time" by Dave Frishberg.

She appeared regularly on British television with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.[6] several times as a guest of Jack Paar on his Tonight show and also appeared on The Danny Kaye Show, The David Frost Show, and The Merv Griffin Show.[9][11][6]

Personal life and final years

While living in Paris in the early 1950s, Dearie met Bobby Jaspar, a Belgian flutist and saxophonist. They were briefly married.[9]

On February 7, 2009, "after a long illness"[7] and "failing health",[9] Dearie died "in her sleep"[9] and "of natural causes"[5] at her apartment on Sheridan Square[13] in Greenwich Village, New York City, according to her representative and manager Donald Schaffer.[5][7] She was survived by her older brother Barney as well as a nephew and a niece.[5][2] She was cremated, and her ashes were interred in Falls Church, Virginia.[14]

Discography

Prestige
EmArcy/Mercury Records
Barclay Records
Verve Records
Hires Root Beer/DIW Records
Capitol/EMI Records
Fontana Records
Daffodil Records (Dearie's own label)[9]
EMI Records
With other artists

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dearie, Blossom (1985). "Blossom Dearie On Piano Jazz". Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. NPR. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Blossom Dearie Obituary". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dearie, Blossom (March 31, 1998). "Jazz Singer And Pianist Blossom Dearie". Fresh Air. Interview with Interviewed by Terri Gross. NPR; published online November 28, 2003. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Profile at AllMusic
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Holden, Stephen (February 8, 2009). "Blossom Dearie, Cult Chanteuse, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Jack, Adrian (February 8, 2009). "Blossom Dearie". The Guardian. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Jones, Kenneth (February 8, 2009). "Blossom Dearie, Vocalist Whose Wispy Voice Caressed Show Music and Standards, Has Died". Playbill.com. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Clifford (2009). "Blossom Dearie". In Thompson, Clifford; Helbok, Miriam; Rich, Mari; Cole, Forrest. Current Biography Yearbook (70th ed.). Hw Wilson Company. p. 653. ISBN 9780824211042. ISSN 0084-9499.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thurber, Jon (February 9, 2009). "Blossom Dearie dies at 82; jazz and cabaret singer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ Yohe, Tom; Newall, George (1996), Schoolhouse Rock!: The Official Guide, New York: Hyperion Books, pp. 59, 19, 39, ISBN 0-7868-8170-4
  11. 1 2 Blossom Dearie at the Internet Movie Database
  12. ↑ "Blossom Dearie & Johnny Mercer's My New Celebrity Is You Finally Out on CD" Archived February 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine., Allaboutjazz.com, 21 June 2006.
  13. ↑ "Blossom Dearie". TheUnclaimedFund.com. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Blossom Dearie's Memorial". FindAGrave.com.

Notes

  1. ↑ In her 1985 interview with Marian McPartland, Dearie explained that Margrethe (which she spelled) is a Norwegian version of Margaret, and that it is her Christian name, but her birth certificate has her first and middle names one way, and her passport has them in the reverse order. Many sources — including those contained as references in this Wikipedia article — provide conflicting information regarding the order of her first and middle names, also sometimes providing an alternate spelling "Marguerite" or "Margrete" which are incorrect, especially when considered its proper pronunciation and spelling by Dearie herself.
  2. ↑ Sometimes cited as 1926, her year of birth was 1924 according to most of her obituaries.

Further reading

External links

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