Joya Sherrill
Born(1924-08-20)August 20, 1924
Bayonne, New Jersey, United States
DiedJune 28, 2010(2010-06-28) (aged 85)
Great Neck, New York, United States
EducationWilberforce University
Occupation(s)Jazz vocalist and children's television show host

Joya Sherrill (August 20, 1924 – June 28, 2010) was an American jazz vocalist and children's television show host.

Biography

Sherrill was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on August 20, 1924.[1] Her first ambition was to become a writer:[1] she was the editor of her school paper.[2] She had a sister, Alice.[1]

Sherrill began her career with Duke Ellington in July 1942 when she was 17 years old. After a period at Wilberforce University, she rejoined in 1944 and remained with Ellington until 1946, when she left to marry Richard Guilmenot.[1] Ellington considered her one of his favorite singers.[3] "I never really left the band. I did recordings and special occasions. Duke would call me for jobs once a year at least," Sherrill told John S. Wilson in 1979.[2] Sherrill also performed with Ellingtonians Ray Nance and Rex Stewart for many years.[3] She worked with Ellington on the television broadcast of A Drum Is a Woman (1957), and toured the USSR with Benny Goodman in 1962.[1] The 1965 album Joya Sherrill Sings Duke features Ellingtonians performing in support.[4]

From 1970, Sherrill hosted a children's television show, Time for Joya, later called Joya's Fun School.[1] This was recorded for a few years, but was rerun until 1982.[1] In the mid-1970s, she accompanied her husband when he went to Iran for his work.[2] There, she had her own television program, which was broadcast live.[2] She returned to singing in New York near the end of that decade.[2]

Her husband died in 1989;[1] they had a son and a daughter.[2] Sherrill died from leukemia at home in Great Neck, New York, on June 28, 2010.[3]

Discography

As leader

As guest

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Keepnews, Peter (July 8, 2010). "Joya Sherrill, Who Sang With Ellington and Goodman, Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, John S. (May 25, 1979). "A Blues Singer Looks Back". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Joya Sherrill". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  4. ^ Dryden, Ken. "Joya Sherrill Sings Duke Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Joya Sherrill - Black Beauty: The Duke in Mind Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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