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).
Stairway To The Stars
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And climb that stairway to the stars
With love beside us to fill the night with a song
We'll hear the sound of violins
Out yonder where the blue begins
The moon will guide us as we go drifting along
Can't we sail away on a lazy daisy petal
Over the rim of the hill?
And settle high on the crest of a thrill!
Let's build a stairway to the stars
A lovely stairway to the stars
Dee Dee Bridgewater's "Stairway To The Stars" is a romantic song that speaks of building a stairway to the stars and climbing it with love by our side. The lyrics suggest that with love, anything is possible and that it brings a song to our hearts. The song speaks of violins playing and the moon guiding us as we drift along, away from all our worries. The lyrics also suggest that we can sail away on a lazy daisy petal, over the rim of a hill, or on the crest of a thrill, as long as love is with us. Overall, these lyrics suggest a passionate love story, an escape from reality, and a dream for a better, more romantic life.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's build a stairway to the stars
Let's strive to achieve greatness and reach new heights, whether metaphorically or literally.
And climb that stairway to the stars
Let's work hard and persevere to reach our goals, even if they seem out of reach or impossible.
With love beside us to fill the night with a song
Let's embrace the power of love and allow it to comfort and inspire us along the way.
We'll hear the sound of violins
As we climb higher and higher towards success, we'll be rewarded with beautiful experiences and moments that will make it all worth it.
Out yonder where the blue begins
As we venture out into uncharted territory and explore new possibilities, we'll encounter beauty and wonder that we never knew existed before.
The moon will guide us as we go drifting along
As we navigate the unknown and sometimes treacherous path to success, we'll be guided by something greater than ourselves and it will lead us to where we need to go.
Can't we sail away on a lazy daisy petal
We shouldn't be afraid to take risks and try new things, even if they seem silly or unconventional.
Over the rim of the hill?
Let's not limit ourselves to what we know and are comfortable with. Let's have the courage to explore uncharted territories and see what's beyond the horizon.
Can't we sail away on a little dream
If we have a dream, even if it seems impossible, we should pursue it with all our heart and soul.
And settle high on the crest of a thrill!
If we work hard and persevere, we will be rewarded with success and the satisfaction of achieving something great.
Let's build a stairway to the stars
Let's keep pushing forward and striving for greatness, no matter how difficult the journey may be.
A lovely stairway to the stars
Let's make our journey to success enjoyable and pleasant, even if we hit roadblocks or obstacles along the way.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Frank Signorelli, Matt Malneck, Mitchell Parish
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Myra Tanksley
The beautiful Dee Dee Bridgewater vocals blows me away! Her voice is a gift from GOD and she can do all kinds of things with it, just like an instrument! Now I have another favorite female vocalist of all time next to Natalie Cole and Valerie Simpson!
Carmen Stallworth-Clark
I love her voice so much. ❤
Tove Nærvik
Fantastic, she's one of my favorite Jazz vocalist's, I have a Cd wt her music and her version of Love For Sale are really really good ‼️👍
luiz alberto
Cada dia cantando melhor...
Виктория
Какая прелесть.Почему я люблю игру на пианино.Там надо на клавиши нажимать,как нажмёшь.так и музыка зазвучит.А голос у девушки как успокоительное для сердца
Carmencita Ajche
Megusta!!!!!
John Wade
Listen to theDexter Gordon version - absolutely spellbinding…..:-)