Because we are living in a time where society celebrates pop culture and fads more than talent and artistic excellence, I find myself more and more often revisiting the work of the legends who influenced me as an artist when I was younger. As I mention in my one - woman show The Ladies Who Sing With The Band, I was not always a "Classical Diva". While learning to embrace life above middle C, I sang jazz in nightclubs, at weddings, and all kinds of venues in between for years back in Pittsburgh, PA to pay for my voice lessons. There were many phenomenal women who inspired me at the time: Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington...the list continues on. But I would be remise if I did not pay homage to jazz legend Nancy Wilson. The unparalleled Sweet Nancy, whom my daughter insists has "the voice of an angel", brought us classics such as '(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am', 'Tell Me The Truth', and 'Guess Who I Saw Today' throughout her 57-year-long career. 1 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 1 Emmy award, 1 Oprah Winfrey Legends Award, 1 NAACP Lifetime Achievement award, 3 Grammy awards (and 20 Grammy nominations), and countless other awards and honorary degrees later, Fancy Miss Nancy's 70+ albums still serve as the most beautiful soundtrack to our lives.

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