Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Lee Jones.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always loved to sing! Music was a large part of my formative years growing up in Nebraska. Both of my parents were musical. My mother played piano, and my father sang tenor. I started singing in Grade School and continued on in Jr. High, High School and with my church choir. Most of my close friends were and still are involved in music. After going to UNO for a few years (University of Nebraska Omaha), I was lured to the big city of Dallas to pursue a career in retailing, but my love of music never ceased. In my profession as a Buyer, I purposely sought out opportunities to sing in NYC and abroad and still maintained my main job as a retailer successfully! I was very fortunate to meet many other musicians in my travels, which was a great learning experience! I knew that one day I’d be a full-time vocalist, so it was just a matter of when. Retailing was and is just another type of show business!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Music is a business like any other! It takes training and a certain amount of organization to be successful. Most people don’t realize this. They think it all just happens magically. As an independent, unsigned artist, it takes a lot of down-in-the-trenches effort to get the gigs, learn new material, rehearse, and lead your band. There are instances when you don’t get paid properly and have to chase it down. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it takes follow-through and persistence. I’m writing a memoir and am including some of my “funny stories” about not getting paid. Ultimately…I always get paid!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Since 2008, I’ve been a full-time jazz vocalist and band leader, recording artist, independent record label, and marketing advisor for other musicians. I’m known for researching the background history of the songs I sing and sharing this with my audience. People love it! From retro pop with a jazz twist to classical jazz singing the verses, people expect to hear this from me.
You know, I believe sometimes people cross your path that are just meant to be! While traveling to NYC in 2001, I met jazz singer and open mic host Trudi Mann, who was in her late 70s. Trudi took me under her wing and introduced me to the NYC Cabaret-Jazz scene, where she booked my first NYC show, which was a sell-out! Trudi is now 95!
Early on, I studied classical voice privately with two well-known Dallas voice teachers, Evelyn Messmore, and Joan Tallis. to further my vocal education, I’ve attended UNT’s (University of North Texas) Vocal Jazz Work Shops, Jazz Voice Summits in Virginia Beach, JEN Conferences (Jazz Education Network) and studied music theory with Berkeley School of Music. It is an ongoing process of keeping current and fresh!
In 2008, when I made the leap to reinvent myself and hit the Dallas jazz scene, I’ve been performing with my jazz groups: Fresh Vintage Jazz Ensemble (me and the guys), The Satin Dolls Band (my all-female quintet), and In Full Swing (a big little band).
My first album was recorded in NYC in 2008 and featured the late great Bob Dorough on piano and vocals with a special duet arrangement of his well-known Devil May Care. I’ve self-produced and released five nationally reviewed CDs on my independent Catn’round Sound label and released five singles. With The New Collection, an a cappella jazz group, a separate album was released led by the late vocal jazz arranger and Professor Emeritus Paris Rutherford of the University of North Texas Vocal Jazz Department. I’m currently working on a new release for fall 2024.
In addition to a regular jazz repertoire, I’ve developed, produced, and performed a series of 6 themed Cabaret jazz shows to sellout crowds. (Songs From My Mother’s Piano Bench, Too Marvelous For Words, The Music Of Johnny Mercer, I’d Rather Lead A Band, The Music of Bobby Troup & Julie London, Hooray For The Girls celebrating female composers and Lyricists)
I was honored with the prestigious Cabaret Artist Of The Year Award for 2017 from The Sammons Center For The Arts in Dallas, Texas.
My newest venture, as mentioned, The Satin Dolls Band, is inspired from a successful HOORAY FOR THE GIRLS cabaret-jazz show celebrating women composers, lyricists, librettist, and singers of the 20th century and beyond. The Satin Dolls Band performs classic jazz favorites, such as blues, Broadway, R&B, smooth jazz, original compositions, and retro-pop, with a jazz twist. The band’s name is a nod to the 1953 jazz song Satin Doll, composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.
What’s next?
I’m currently working on a new album of 10 songs as well as 10 single releases for the 2024-25 year and a new cabaret-jazz show for Spring of 2025. I hope to finalize a jazz tour, taking along my pianist and bassist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carolynleejones.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynleejones/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolynleejonesmusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynleejones/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/carolynleejones
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Su5TpagvY9lz56nKKwXpJ
Image Credits
Bart Marantz
Vladimir Kolopic
Candice White
Joyce Sanders
