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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZWHITFIELD, Wesla(b Weslia Marie Edwards, 15 September 1947, Santa Maria CA; d 9 February 2018, St Helena CA) Cabaret singer with a relaxed and delicate voice, always clearly enunciating: one of the finest interpreters of 'the great American songbook', where the songs benefit from thoughtful interpretation rather than being oversold. Her name was always pronounced Wesla: her mother had named her after a friend, but spelled the name wrong. She knew she would be a singer from age one or two; early influences included Nat King Cole, Frankie Laine, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney. She began formal training with piano lessons at age seven, classical voice study at 14; turned pro '70 with the San Francisco Opera Chorus, but left '75; she preferred singing great popular songs, getting at the meaning of the song through the lyrics. She started her new career as a singing cocktail waitress (a short-lived disaster: no trouble with the singing part, but she couldn't keep the drink orders straight). She was paralysed after being shot by a teenaged hoodlum '77; she sang sitting down, and felt that that actually brought the audience closer to the song. She met her third husband, pianist Mike Greensill in '81, when he asked to sit in during a gig; they married '86 and formed their own label, Myoho Records, the first release Just For A Thrill '87 featuring Al Cohn, followed by Until The Real Thing Comes Along and Nobody Else But Me '87-8. Lucky To Be Me '89 came out on Landmark: signed by Orrin Keepnews to his new label, she was the label's first vocalist. Engagements at the Plush Room resulted in Live In San Francisco '91. Beautiful Love and Seeker Of Wisdom And Truth '92-3 were on Cabaret, followed by a return to Landmark for Nice Work '94; Teach Me Tonight '97 appeared on High Note. They released over 20 records altogether. In the autumn of '93 through '95 she did three-month engagements at the Algonquin Hotel NYC; in the same decade she also sang at Carnegie Hall and at the White House. On the age-old question of who is a jazz singer, she said in an interview, 'I am not a jazz singer because I do not play with the melody or rhythms much ... I'm sure I'll never be a true jazz singer, but I attempt to move toward it daily ... And I have yet to meet even one singer who considers him/herself to be a jazz singer.' One critic said that she never improvised, but she always swung. |