Dinah Washington – “The 25 songs” (Full Album)

Dinah Washington “The 25 songs” (Full Album)

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Tracjk List:

01 This Bitter Earth 00:00 02 Cry Me A River 02:26 03 Drinking Again 04:52 04 Mad About the Boy 08:20 05 Come Rain Or Come Shine 11:06 06 Embraceable You 13:14 07 I’ll Never Be Free 16:07 08 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 18:49 09 Willow Weep For Me 21:49 10 Lover Come Back to Me 25:13 11 I Could Write a Book 27:29

12 All of me 31:51 13 I’ve Got You Under My Skin 34:01 14 I’ll Close My Eyes 38:27 15 Blue Gardenia 42:24 16 I’ve Got a Crush on You 47:38 17 Our Love is Here to Stay 50:42 18 You Go To My Head 53:05 19 You Don’t Know What Love Is 01:03:11 20 If I Had You 01:07:12 21 Fat Daddy 01:11:57 22 Easy Living 01:14:22 23 Ain’t nothin’ good 01:19:21 24 Unforgettable 01:22:12 25 TV Is The Thing This Year 01:24:54

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Who was Dinah Washington?

Dinah Washington: The Queen of the Blues

Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones) was one of the most gifted and influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a voice that was at once powerful, piercing, and impeccably controlled, she mastered and fused genres including blues, R&B, jazz, pop, and gospel. Though her career was tragically cut short, her stylistic versatility, hit-making prowess, and direct emotional delivery earned her the royal title “The Queen of the Blues.”

Early Life and Gospel Beginnings (1924-1942)

Ruth Lee Jones was born on August 29, 1924, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her family moved to Chicago’s South Side while she was still a young child. Music was central to her upbringing; her mother, Alice, was a church pianist who heavily encouraged her daughter’s musical talents.

From the age of three, Ruth began playing piano and singing in the choir at St. Luke’s Baptist Church. Her powerful voice quickly made her a featured soloist. By her early teens, she was winning amateur singing contests at Chicago’s Regal Theater, performing both gospel and secular music. This dual interest created tension at home, but it set the stage for her unique style—a blend of sacred fervor and worldly sophistication.

Discovery and Rise with Lionel Hampton (1943-1946)

In 1943, after winning a talent contest at the famous Chicago nightclub The Garrick Bar, the 19-year-old Ruth Jones was discovered by bandleader and talent manager Joe Glaser. Soon after, she was invited to audition for the great jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton.

Hampton was immediately struck by her voice. He hired her on the spot, but insisted she change her name. Thus, Ruth Lee Jones became Dinah Washington (inspired, some say, by the popular Dinah Shore or the century-old song “Dinah”).

As the female vocalist for Lionel Hampton’s orchestra, Washington received her professional schooling. She recorded her first sides with the band, including “Evil Gal Blues” (1943), which became an instant hit on the “race records” charts (the precursor to R&B). Her time with Hampton honed her timing, phrasing, and stage presence, embedding her firmly in the jazz and blues traditions.

Solo Stardom and the Mercury Years (1946-1961)

Dinah left Hampton’s band in 1946 to launch her solo career. She signed with Mercury Records, a partnership that would define the golden age of her career and last for 15 years.

She began a remarkable streak of hits on the R&B charts, establishing herself as a dominant force in post-war Black music. Her early hits for Mercury included:

• “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1948)
• “Baby Get Lost” (1949)
• “I Wanna Be Loved” (1950)
• “Trouble in Mind” (1952)

Her sound was a sophisticated blend of big-band blues and jazz, delivered with a clarity and emotional punch that was uniquely hers.

Crossover Pop Success and “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”

Never one to be confined to a single genre, Washington effortlessly transitioned into popular music. Her breakthrough came with a string of lush, orchestrated albums arranged by Quincy Jones and Bob Shad.

In 1959, she took a Latin-tinged jazz tune from the 1930s, “¿Qué Será de Ti? (What Will Become of You?)”, and transformed it into the pop standard “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”. The recording, featuring a sweeping orchestra and choir, was a monumental success. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won her a Grammy Award in 1960 for Best R&B Performance.

This success cemented her status as a crossover superstar. Other major pop hits followed, including a sultry version of “Unforgettable” (1959) and a celebrated duet with Brook Benton, “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” (1960), which hit No. 5 on the pop charts.

Musical Style and Persona

Dinah Washington’s artistry was defined by:

• Her Voice: A crisp, clear, two-octave contralto that could convey vulnerability, defiance, joy, and sorrow with equal conviction. She was a technical master of phrasing and dynamics.
• Emotional Directness: She sang with an arresting honesty and lack of pretension, making every lyric feel like a personal confession.
• Genre Fluidity: She refused categorization, moving between blues, jazz, pop, torch songs, and even country with effortless authority. She is often credited as a foundational influence on the soul music that followed.
• Stage Presence: Offstage, she was known for her sharp wit, high standards, and sometimes blunt demeanor. Onstage, she was a commanding, glamorous, and captivating performer.

Personal Life and Relationships

Washington’s personal life was as turbulent as her music was successful. She was married seven times to six different men (she married one husband twice). Her husbands included a boxer, a policeman, a drummer, and a professional football player. These relationships, often fraught with drama and domestic strife, provided fodder for the tabloids but also fueled the deep well of emotion she drew from in her music.

She was also known for her lavish lifestyle, expensive tastes, and generosity toward her family and band members.

Later Career, Death, and Legacy

In the early 1960s, Washington moved to Roulette Records. She continued to record high-quality music, including a celebrated collaboration with Count Basie, Dinah ’63, and the album In Love, but the massive pop hits became less frequent.

Tragically, her life was cut short on December 14, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 39, Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of a dangerous combination of diet pills and alcohol (secobarbital and amobarbital).

Her death shocked the music world and robbed it of one of its most vibrant and talented voices.

Legacy and Influence

Dinah Washington’s impact on music is immeasurable.

• The Bridge to Soul: She is universally recognized as a crucial link between the blues of Bessie Smith, the jazz of Billie Holiday, and the soul of Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, and Esther Phillips. Aretha Franklin directly cited her as her greatest influence.
• A Catalog of Classics: Her recordings, from the raw blues of the 1940s to the polished pop of the 1960s, remain a benchmark for vocal excellence.
• Grammy Hall of Fame: Her signature hit, “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes,” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 in the “Early Influences” category.
• Enduring Influence: Her fearless approach to genre and her uncompromising emotional honesty continue to inspire singers across all styles of popular music.

Dinah Washington was, in the words of music critic Gary Giddins, “the most popular black female recording artist of the ’50s” and remains, forever, a true queen of American music.

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