Colorado is home to many talented jazz musicians, each of whom have contributed their unique style and sound to the state’s musical legacy. Among the many beloved names that have earned well-deserved spots in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame is Dianne Reeves, an award-winning jazz singer with a long and storied career.
Dianne Reeves hails from a family with deep musical roots, including well-known musicians George Duke and Charles Burrell. Her mother played trumpet and her father sang, so it is perhaps no wonder that she was passionate about music from the very beginning.
Reeves has spent more than thirty years sharing her incredible talents with the world, both as a solo artist and as a contributor to the work of other jazz groups and artists. The unique timbre of her elegant, evocative voice and the style and sensitivity she brings to her songs have made her an American treasure.
Dianne Reeves hails from a family with deep musical roots, including well-known musicians George Duke and Charles Burrell. Her mother played trumpet and her father sang, so it is perhaps no wonder that she was passionate about music from the very beginning.
Born on October 23, 1956, Reeves spent her first two years in Detroit before relocating to Denver with her mother after her father’s passing. Burrell, her uncle, was a bassist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the person who would forever change her life—and music history—by introducing her to jazz.
While a student at Denver’s George Washington High School, Reeves sang in a big band that was invited to perform at the National Association of Jazz Educators. There she was discovered by jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, who would go on to become her musical mentor. After graduation. Reeves spent a short time studying classical voice at the University of Colorado.
In 1976, she moved to Los Angeles at the suggestion of fellow Denverite and founding Earth, Wind & Fire member Philip Bailey, and began to pursue music full-time.
The heart of Reeves’ career has always connected back to jazz, but she has also proved herself more than capable of performing other types of music. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she hopped between various forms of session work, touring with the band Caldera and artist Harry Belafonte, and partnering with Sérgio Mendes.
In 1982, Reeves began her work as a recording artist, quickly becoming known for her eclectic stylings. Her music introduced fans to a new realm that blended jazz with pop, world music, and African-inspired folk music. Much of her early work is distinctly autobiographical, with Reeves crafting extraordinary lyrics with superior skill.
After spending several years playing and touring with Mendes, Belafonte and others, Reeves signed with Blue Note Records in 1987. The eponymous Dianne Reeves claimed the number-one spot on contemporary jazz music charts for an impressive eleven weeks. She went on to record several other albums of note with Blue Note, including The Grand Encounter, Never Too Far and I Remember.
Reeves won five Grammy Awards, including for her work in the George Clooney film Good Night and Good Luck. She was also honored with honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music and the Juilliard School in 2003 and 2015, respectively. In 2018, Reeves achieved one of the ultimate career milestones for an American jazz musician when she was designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Reeves moved back to Colorado in the 1990s, and while her career had taken her beyond her hometown, she has always maintained a passionate base of fans in the state. Dianne Reeves songs are a staple on the soundtrack of famous Colorado music, and for decades, Reeves has stood as a shining example of the state’s diverse musical talents, an essential part of the state’s music history.
Today, Reeves’ story is told at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, and she is an integral part of the museum’s carefully selected honorees. Congratulations to Dianne Reeves on her induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
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