Rosella Clemmons Washington

b. Rosella Clemmons, 1967, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. A strikingly talented jazz singer, whose vocal sound and style is redolent of gospel and soul, Washington is best known in the Philadelphia and Wilmington areas. She met bass player Tyrone Brown in the mid-80s, singing with him during a gig she had while still a student at Temple University and his encouragement helped her decide upon and maintain a career as a singer. She has performed with several well-known artists, among them violinist John Blake, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, pianist Aaron Graves, and saxophonist Grover Washington Jnr. Although usually performing with her own quartet, an album of duets with Brown released in 2000 proved to be a tour de force that earned her considerable critical acclaim.