Mary Stallings
Mary Stallings is an American jazz vocalist whose career has spanned over 65 years, earning her a unique and revered place in modern jazz. The New York Times has called her "perhaps the best jazz singer alive today."
A San Francisco native, Stallings began singing in a gospel choir before performing in local nightclubs by her teens, sharing the stage with legends like Ben Webster, Cal Tjader, and Wes Montgomery. She came of age in the big band era, touring with Dizzy Gillespie's band and spending three years as the featured singer for the Count Basie Orchestra from 1969 to 1972.
After a hiatus in the 1970s and '80s to raise her daughter (R&B singer Adriana Evans), Stallings returned to the scene in the late 1980s. Since then, she has been celebrated for her sophisticated, blues-inflected phrasing and deep connection to the Great American Songbook, releasing over a dozen acclaimed albums.