Cheryl Bentyne
Background information
Born (1954-01-17) January 17, 1954 (age 70)
Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.
GenresVocal jazz, pop
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1975–present
LabelsColumbia, Telarc, King, ArtistShare, Summit

Cheryl Bentyne (born Cheryl Benthien;[1][2] January 17, 1954) is a jazz singer who spent much of her career with The Manhattan Transfer.

Early years

Bentyne started singing at age 13 with her father's Dixieland and swing band.[2][3] Following graduation from Mount Vernon High School,[1] she enrolled at Skagit Valley College and studied music and theater. She moved to Seattle in the mid 1970s and sang with John Holte's New Deal Rhythm Band.[4] The NDRB trombonist Gary McKaig gave her an album by the Manhattan Transfer. After four years in Seattle, she moved to Los Angeles.[3]

The Manhattan Transfer

Main article: The Manhattan Transfer

In 1979, Bentyne became the permanent replacement for singer Laurel Massé, who left the group after being injured in an automobile accident. Her first appearance was on the album Extensions (1979), which won the group its first Grammy Award, Best Jazz Fusion Performance for a vocalese version of the song "Birdland" by Weather Report.

She won ten Grammy Awards with the Manhattan Transfer, including awards for her arrangement of "Another Night in Tunisia" with Bobby McFerrin and for writing the song "Sassy" for the album The Offbeat of Avenues.[5]

Solo career

Her debut solo album, Something Cool (Columbia, 1992), was produced by trumpeter Mark Isham and consisted of traditional pop and jazz standards.[6] This was followed by Dreaming of Mister Porter (2000), a tribute to Cole Porter; Talk of the Town (2004) with Kenny Barron, David "Fathead" Newman, Chuck Mangione; and Let Me Off Uptown (2005), a tribute to Anita O'Day. While still a member of the Manhattan Transfer, she recorded the album Duets with bassist Rob Wasserman.[7] In 1991, she collaborated with Mark Isham on a song for the soundtrack to the film Mortal Thoughts.[7]

Bentyne left music in 2012 due to illness. Her spleen was removed and she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Margaret Dorn replaced her in the Manhattan Transfer. Within a year, a doctor told her she was free of cancer, and she returned to singing.[8]

In 2013, she narrated an audiobook version of the best-selling book Little Girl Blue, a biography of singer Karen Carpenter.[9] In 2014, she was a judge and mentor for the Songbook Academy, a summer program for high school students operated by the Great American Songbook Foundation founded by Michael Feinstein.[10]

Awards and honors

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b Voegtlin, Anne (October 4, 1985). "Transfer-mation of a classmate". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Retrieved April 24, 2023. When I knew her she was Cheryl Benthien, a fellow member of Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School's Class of 1972.
  2. ^ a b Beers, Carole (October 11, 1997). "Herb Benthien, Longtime Bandleader". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Bonino, Rick (May 22, 2015). "Vocal act Manhattan Transfer going on 40 years of jazzy fun". Spokesman.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  4. ^ retrieved May 31, 2017
  5. ^ Ragogna, Mike (September 27, 2013). "Chats With The Manhattan Transfer's Janis Siegel & Cheryl Bentyne and Jeff Lorber, Plus Diane Birch, The Swellers and Johnny Chill Exclusives". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  6. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Something Cool". AllMusic. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Cheryl Bentyne Musician - All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Loudon, Christopher (September 16, 2012). "Cheryl Bentyne: Night Turns to Day". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  9. ^ "Bio". Home | Cheryl Bentyne. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  10. ^ "High School Vocalists Set for Michael Feinstein's 2014 Great American Songbook Competition Tonight". BroadwayWorld.com. July 25, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
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