Lorez Alexandria
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| Lorez Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dolorez Alexandria Turner |
| Born | August 14, 1929 Chicago, IL, US |
| Died | May 22, 2001 (aged 71) Los Angeles, CA, US |
| Genres | Jazz, gospel |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1940s–90s |
| Labels | King, Argo, Impulse!, Pzazz, Trio, Discovery, Trend, Sony, Muse |
| Associated acts | King Fleming Ramsey Lewis |
Lorez Alexandria, born Dolorez Alexandria Turner (August 14, 1929 – May 22, 2001),[1][2] was an American jazz and gospel singer, described as "one of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century".[3]
Biography[edit]
She was born in Chicago, Illinois. She sang gospel music in churches in her teens, and spent 11 years as part of an a cappella choir. Turning to jazz, she worked the local Chicago club scene before linking up with arranger King Fleming and recording several albums for King Records between 1957 and 1959, including some with pianist Ramsey Lewis.[3][4]
She moved to Los Angeles in 1962 to further her career. She continued to record, and appeared in clubs and on television.[3] She remains best known for her album Alexandria the Great (Impulse! Records, 1964), which featured her in a variety of contexts ranging from big bands to small groups, including several tracks with the Wynton Kelly Trio. Other musicians she recorded with included Howard McGhee, Gildo Mahones, Toots Camarataand Houston Person. After several years without a recording contract in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she re-emerged to record for labels such as Discovery and Muse. She continued to record until the mid 1990s, without ever making a major commercial breakthrough.[4]
She died in 2001 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 71, having suffered a stroke several years earlier.[4]
Discography[edit]
- This is Lorez Alexandria (with the King Fleming Quartet) (King, 1957)
- Lorez sings Prez (King, 1957)
- Lorez sings the band swings (King, 1959)
- Sings songs everyone knows (King, 1959)
- Early in the morning (with Ramsey Lewis) (Argo, 1960)
- Sing no sad songs for me (Argo, 1960)
- Deep Roots (Argo, 1962)
- For swingers only (Argo, 1963)
- Alexandria the Great (Impulse, 1964)
- More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse, 1964)
- Didn't we (Pzazz)
- From Broadway to Hollywood (Trio, 1977)
- How will I remember you ? (with Gildo Mahones) (Discovery, 1978)
- A Woman Knows (Discovery, 1978)
- The songs of Johnny Mercer (Discovery, 1980)
- Harlem Butterfly (with Gildo Mahones) (Discovery, 1984)
- Tangerine (with Gildo Mahones) (Trend, 1984)
- My one and only love (Sony, 1986)
- Dear to my heart (with Gildo Mahones) (Trend, 1987)
- May I come in ? (Muse, 1990)
- Star eyes (Muse, 1993)
