Born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee, she grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Matthew Garrett, was a jazz trumpeter and teacher at Manassas High School, and through his playing, Denise was exposed to jazz early on. At the age of sixteen, she was a member of a rock and rhythm'n'blues trio, singing in clubs in Michigan. At 18, she studied at Michigan State University before she went to the University of Illinois. With their jazz band, she toured the Soviet Union in 1969. The next year, she met trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, and after their marriage, they moved to New York City, where Cecil played in Horace Silver's band.
In 1971, Dee Dee Bridgewater joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra as the lead vocalist. The next years marked the beginning of her jazz career, and she performed with many of the great jazz musicians of the time, such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, and others. In 1974, her first own album, entitled Afro Blue, appeared, and she also performed on Broadway in the musical The Wiz. For her role as Glinda the Good Witch she won a Tony Award in 1975 as "best-featured actress", and the musical also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
She subsequently appeared in several other stage productions. After touring France in 1984 with the musical Sophisticated Ladies, she moved to Paris in 1986. The same year saw her in Lady Day as Billie Holliday, for which role she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she returned from the world of musical to jazz. She performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, and four years later, she finally collaborated with Horace Silver, whom she had admired for a long time, and released the album Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver. Her 1997 tribute album Dear Ella won her the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and the 1998 album Live at Yoshi's was also worth a Grammy nomination. She has also explored on This is New the songs of Kurt Weill, and, on her latest album J'ai Deux Amours, the French Classics.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is the first American to be inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie. She has received the Award of Arts and Letters in France.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is mother to three children, Tulani Bridgewater (from her marriage to Cecil Bridgewater), China Moses (from her marriage to theater, film and television director Gilbert Moses) and Gabriel Durand (from her current marriage to French concert promoter Jean-Marie Durand).
On A Clear Day
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you'll see who you are
On a clear day how it will astound you
That the glow of your being outshines every star
You'll feel part of ev'ry mountain, sea, and shore
You can hear from far and near a world you've never heard before
And on a clear day, on that clear day
You can see forever and ever more
And on that clear day, on that clear day
You can see forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and evermore!
The lyrics of Dee Dee Bridgewater's song "On A Clear Day" suggest that on a clear day, one can gain a newfound perspective on life and themselves. The opening line, "On a clear day, rise and look around you," serves as an invitation for listeners to see the world from a different vantage point. The subsequent lyric, "And you'll see who you are," implies that this newfound perspective will lead to greater self-awareness.
The following lyric, "On a clear day how it will astound you that the glow of your being outshines every star," suggests that this perspective will not only provide insight into oneself but also a sense of self-worth. The listener is asked to envision themselves as part of the natural world with the line, "You'll feel part of ev'ry mountain, sea, and shore." The final two lines, "And on a clear day, on that clear day, you can see forever and evermore," suggest that this newfound perspective will have a profound impact, allowing the listener to see beyond their present circumstances and into the infinite possibilities of life.
Overall, Dee Dee Bridgewater's "On A Clear Day" encourages listeners to take a step back and gain a new perspective on their life and themselves. The song suggests that by doing so, listeners can gain greater self-awareness and a sense of self-worth, while also gaining insight into the infinite possibilities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
On a clear day, rise and look around you
When there's clarity, take a moment to observe your surroundings
And you'll see who you are
You'll have a better understanding of yourself
On a clear day how it will astound you
The level of amazement is heightened when there's clarity
That the glow of your being outshines every star
You are capable of radiating more light than celestial bodies in the sky
You'll feel part of ev'ry mountain, sea, and shore
A sense of belonging will overcome you and make you feel connected to everything natural
You can hear from far and near a world you've never heard before
Clarity will reveal new sounds and perspectives you haven't paid attention to
And on a clear day, on that clear day
During a moment of clarity
You can see forever and evermore
Your vision is extended beyond the present moment
You can hear from far and near a world you've never heard before
Clarity will reveal new sounds and perspectives you haven't paid attention to
And on that clear day, on that clear day
During a moment of clarity
You can see forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and evermore!
The scope of your vision is expanded infinitely
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Matthew Mark McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bradford Hammond
Absolutely LOVE this Album.I give GOD The Glory for the New Morning everyday lol.I remember Miss Dee Dee collaborating with Tonight Show Band as well.Bravo!
Jazz Di
Amazing )))
Mildred Gonzalez
Always Tongues of Jazz spoken so jazzaleee By Miss DeeDee saw her at the Bluenote and she you know the rest🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉