Cassandra Wilson, one of the most successful jazz singers of all time, has died. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist. Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager,” Wilson’s manager told WBGO. She was 70 years old.
Known for her ability to blend genres like blues, country, and folk with jazz music, Wilson had a long collaboration with Blue Note Records, releasing nine albums between 1993 and 2010. That collaboration included the album New Moon Daughter, which reached number one on Billboard’s jazz chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Wilson won the same award again for her 2008 album Loverly, which was her second album of jazz standards. (Its title comes from a song from My Fair Lady.) Wilson’s 1999 album Traveling Miles also received a nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, and her albums Thunderbird and Silver Pony both reached the top ten in Billboard’s jazz chart.
Born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1955, Wilson’s father was a musician and teacher, and she grew up with a deep appreciation for jazz. Though she earned a degree in mass communications, she pursued music throughout her education and after being encouraged by mentors including Ellis Marsalis, found the confidence to pursue jazz full time. When she moved to New York, she became a founding member of the M-Base collective and worked with them for several years, building a name for herself. She signed to Blue Note Records in 1993 and released Blue Light the same year, which began her breakthrough to a wider audience. “Blue Light is definitely special. We generally include something from it – or a lot from it – in our shows,” she told Stuff in 2013. “And it was the album that put me on the map. I’m forever thankful for that.”
Her career did not slow in esteem during the final decade of her life. In 2015, she performed at the Apollo Theater as part of a 100th birthday concert honoring Billie Holiday and, in 2022, she was named a National Endowment for the Arts jazz master.
