Dinah Washington

USA, 1943–1963

American singer, billed as the Queen of the Blues, whose precise diction and phrasing carried across gospel, blues, jazz and pop and were widely copied by later soul singers.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Dinah Washington and 3 artists Dinah Washington influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Dinah Washington?

• Billie Holiday — At fifteen, enamoured of Billie Holiday, Washington began singing blues in Chicago clubs — Holiday's phrasing an early model.
• Bessie Smith — Washington carried Bessie Smith's irrepressible blues spirit and flair — she devoted an entire album to Smith's songs.

Which artists did Dinah Washington influence?

• Etta James — Dinah Washington's cutting precision and genre-crossing power were a direct model in the R&B-jazz tradition Etta came up in.
• Ruth Brown — Dinah Washington's blues-and-jazz blend was a vocal role model for Brown's own crossover of the two.
• Amy Winehouse — Dinah Washington's jazz-blues phrasing was a favourite of Winehouse and a model for her own vocal delivery.