Lush Lives

Ladies of Jazz from 1930 to 1990

Women throughout the music field have had to struggle with the barriers society and male attitudes have imposed. The Jazz field is no exception, somehow women artists have been able to leave their mark despite these obstacles, maybe because their instrument has usually been a most personal one, the human voice. The voice which is given to emotional expression, is able to convey what is reserved to the instrumentalist of the highest caliber. Women jazz vocalists were able to combine emotion with musicianship.This site pays homage to those talented artists who have left a mark on the music field and on the soul of Jazz. It also recognizes new artists carrying the tradition forward into the next century.

We have organized the artists by the decade when they were actively recording or when their influence was seen to be strongest. This is not intended to be the definitive word on the artist and their influence. Instead we intend it to be a grateful acknowledgement to the artists and the music they created and thankfully recorded for future fans to enjoy. We hope the information will move people to seek out the music and experience the artistry.

Credits

Lush Lives was created by Ismael Rangel, Kelvin Hicks, and Kathy Scott for LIS 385T, Information Design, taught by Andrew Donoho, at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science , University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1996.

Information for this sight was obtained through personal knowledge of the creators and from All-Music Guide.