Carmen McRae

Biography

Carmen McRae was a jazz singer born in Harlem, New York City, to Jamaican immigrant parents who exposed her to the music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington from an early age. Her influential voice was shaped by Billie Holiday, whom she met at 17, and she went on to collaborate with notable jazz musicians including Teddy Wilson and Dizzy Gillespie. McRae's unique phrasing and interpretation earned her a reputation as one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century.