Mabel Mercer

As one of the finest cabaret singers of her era, Mabel Mercer had an intimate, composed way of storytelling that made her an idol to millions and huge influence on the likes of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. Born in 1900 in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, her father was a black American jazz musician who died before she was born and her mother was a white British vaudeville entertainer who played in music halls. By the age of 14 she was performing as a dancer and touring across Europe with her aunt, but her singing and precise, considered way of phrasing and rhythmic speaking was developed in the night clubs of Paris in the 1920s where she drew the admiration of US stars Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Moving to America during WWII, her interpretations of classic standards were personal and sentimental, and though her vocal range was limited compared to many, her style was unique and profound and led Frank Sinatra to say: "Everything I know, I learned from Mabel Mercer". She toured across the US for over 40 years and released acclaimed albums such as 'Mabel Mercer Sings Cole Porter' in 1956 and 'Once in a Blue Moon' in 1958, and performed some legendary shows with crooner Bobby Short before returning to the UK in 1977. In her later years she collaborated with classical soprano Eileen Farrell and played sold out shows at Carnegie Hall, and in 1983 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan. She died in 1984 aged 84.

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