Nnenna Freelon
| Nnenna Freelon | |
|---|---|
Freelon at the White House with flugelhorn player Clark Terry in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chinyere Nnenna Pierce |
| Born |
July 28, 1954 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Vocal jazz, cool jazz, traditional pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Concord, Columbia |
| Website | www |
Nnenna Freelon, (born July 28, 1954) is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for six Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall, Ramsey Lewis, George Benson, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, and Terence Blanchard.
One critic described her as "a spell-binding professional, who rivets attention with her glorious, cultivated voice and canny stagecraft". She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Ellington Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Apollo Theater, Montreux Jazz Festival, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and more.
Freelon was born Chinyere Nnenna Pierce to Charles and Frances Pierce in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was raised. As a young woman, she sang extensively in her community and the Union Baptist Church and at St. Paul AME. She has a brother Melvin and a sister named Debbie. Nnenna graduated from Simmons College in Boston with a degree in health care administration. For a while she worked for the Durham County Hospital Corporation, Durham, North Carolina. From the Kennedy Center interview with Nnenna:
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