Zora Young
Zora Young | |
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Young in 1982 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Zora Young |
Born |
West Point, Mississippi, United States | January 21, 1948
Genres | Blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | Late 1960s–present |
Labels |
Delmark Deluge Airway |
Website | ZoraYoungMusic.com |
Zora Young (born January 21, 1948, West Point, Mississippi, United States)[1] is an American blues singer. She is distantly related to Howlin' Wolf.[2]
Young's family moved to Chicago when she was seven. She began singing gospel music at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church.[1] As an adult she began singing blues and R&B. Over the course of her career, she has performed with Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Professor Eddie Lusk, and B. B. King. Among those she has collaborated with on record are Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Mississippi Heat, Paul DeLay, and Maurice John Vaughan.[1]
In 1982, she toured Europe with Bonnie Lee and Big Time Sarah, billed as "Blues with the Girls", and recorded an album in Paris. She was later cast in the role of Bessie Smith in the stage show The Heart of the Blues. By 1991 she had recorded the album, Travelin' Light, with the Canadian guitarist Colin Linden.[2]
Young has toured Europe more than thirty times and has made appearances in Turkey and Taiwan. She was the featured performer at the Chicago Blues Festival six times.[1]
In 2014, she was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category 'Traditional Blues Female' (known as the Koko Taylor Award).[3]
Discography
- Travelin' Light (Deluge Records, 1991)
- Learned My Lesson (Delmark Records, 2000)
- Tore Up from the Floor Up (Delmark, 2005)
- Sunnyland (Airway, 2009)
- The French Connection (Delmark, 2009)
- Friday Night (Elrob Records, 2016)[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Linda Seida (1948-01-21). "Zora Young | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
- 1 2 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 195. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ↑ "2014 Blues Music Awards Nominees and Winners". Blues.about.com. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
- ↑ "Zora Young | Album Discography". AllMusic. 1948-01-21. Retrieved 2016-10-05.