Rachelle Ferrell

Primarily known for her work as a jazz singer, Rachelle Ferrell has also recorded music in pop, R&B, and gospel styles. Ferrell was born near Philadelphia in the early 1960s, where she learned violin and piano in addition to fine-tuning her vocal talents, and attended the Berklee College of Music. She toured and recorded as a backup vocalist for the likes of Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, and Vanessa Williams, and also taught as part of a program sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, where she worked alongside jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie. Her debut album, Somethin' Else, arrived in 1990. The Japan-only release featured mostly her interpretations of standards, and included contributions from stars like trumpeter Terence Blanchard, bassist Stanley Clarke, and tenor sax player Wayne Shorter. Her second release, 1992’s Rachelle Ferrell, included primarily original material, and went gold in the United States. She then embarked on a unique, simultaneous record deal: she recorded pop-oriented albums for Capitol Records, while her jazz efforts were released on Blue Note. She would land a Number 1 album on the jazz charts in 2000 with Individuality (Can I Be Me?), after which her recording career went on hiatus.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.