Home / Arts and Entertainment / Barbara Jay: From Dance Halls to Benny Goodman
Barbara Jay: From Dance Halls to Benny Goodman
22 Oct
Summary
- Barbara Jay sang with jazz legends Benny Goodman and Ronnie Scott.
- She formed a musical and marital partnership with Tommy Whittle.
- Her Ella Fitzgerald Songbook show achieved 400 successful performances.
Singer Barbara Jay, known for her work with jazz luminaries Benny Goodman and Ronnie Scott, has passed away at the age of 94.
Jay began her career as a dance-band vocalist in the early 1950s, describing it as an "apprenticeship." She later achieved greater recognition performing with Scott's band, where she became an integral part of the performance despite initial reservations from Scott himself.
Her career took a significant turn when she joined her husband, jazz tenor-saxophonist Tommy Whittle's group. Their musical and marital partnership lasted until Whittle's death in 2013. Jay also toured Europe with Benny Goodman's big band in 1970, a lucrative engagement.
Later, she co-managed a jazz club with Whittle and created the highly successful Ella Fitzgerald Songbook show in 1993. This tribute show, featuring other prominent singers, ran for approximately 400 performances internationally, solidifying her legacy.
