Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December … Read Full Bio ↴Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December 14, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan), better known by her stage name Dinah Washington and also as the Queen of the Blues, was an American Grammy award winning jazz singer best known for singing classic torch songs and her hit single What a Diff'rence a Day Makes. Her penetrating voice, excellent timing, and crystal-clear enunciation added her own distinctive style to every piece she undertook. While making extraordinary recordings in jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and light pop contexts, Washington refused to record gospel music despite her obvious talent in singing it, as she believed it wrong to mix the secular and spiritual.
Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.
Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.
She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.
Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.
Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.
Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.
She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.
Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.
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Dinah Washington - Very Best Of
Dinah Washington Lyrics
A Stranger On Earth Some fools don't know what's right from wrong But somehow th…
Baby Won't You Please Come Home Baby won't you please come home? 'Cause your daddy's all alo…
Call Me Irresponsible Call me irresponsible Call me unreliable Go on and throw in,…
Destination Moon Come and take a trip in my rocket ship We'll have…
Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me Do nothing till you hear from me Pay no attention to…
Don't Come Running Back To Me Well, cheat on, have your fun But to your own self,…
Drinking Again Ooh, it's almost two And I'm sitting here wishing that…
Drown In My Own Tears It brings a tear, Into my eyes, When I begin, To realize, I'…
Fly Me To the Moon (In Other Words) Fly me to the moon And let me play among the…
He's Gone Again He′s gone again Maybe not for long, but he's gone again And…
He's My Guy He's my guy, I don't care what he does Cause he's…
How Long How long, how long, has that evenin' train been gone? How…
I Didn't Know About You - 1991 Remastered Version I ran around, with my own little crowd The usual laughs,…
I Left My Heart In San Francisco I left my heart in San Francisco. High on a hill…
I Wanna Be Around I wanna be around to pick up the pieces when…
I'll Be Around I'll be around No matter how You treat me now I'll be around…
I'm Glad For Your Sake You've found a new love And you say it's divine I've glad…
If I Never Get To Heaven Well, if I never get to heaven It won't be because…
If It's The Last Thing I Do If it's the last thing I do, I'll make you…
It's a Mean Old Man's World Oh when you hear a woman, hear a woman cry And…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Key To The Highway I've got the key to the highway I am bound to…
Love Is The Sweetest Thing Love is the sweetest thing What else on earth could ever…
Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) I don't know why, but I'm feeling so sad I long…
Me and My Gin Stay away from me 'Cause I'm in my sin I said stay…
Me and the One I Love The snow is snowing and the wind it is blowing But…
Miss You - 2002 Remastered Version Miss you since you went away dear Miss you more than…
My Devotion My devotion Is endless and deep as the ocean And like a…
Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning Nobody knows the way I feel This morning, this morning Nobod…
Romance In The Dark In the dark, it's just you and I There's not a…
Say It Isn't So Say it isn't so Mmm say it isn't so Everyone is saying You…
Somebody Else Is Taking My Place Somebody else Is taking my place Somebody else Now shares yo…
Soulville Come on and Show me the way To get to Soulville, baby Show…
Take Me In Your Arms Once upon a lovely time Many million dreams ago Once there w…
That Old Feeling Last night I started out happy Last night my heart was…
That's My Desire To spend one night with you in our old rendezvous, And…
The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Woman Cryin' for Her Man Oh, the blues ain't nothin' But a woman cryin' for her…
The Good Life Oh, the good life, full of fun Seems to be the…
The Man That Got Away The night is bitter, The stars have lost their glitter, Th…
These Foolish Things ( Oh will you never let me be? Oh will you never…
You're A Sweetheart You're a sweetheart If there ever was one If there ever was…
You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You You're a nobody till somebody loves you You're nobody till s…