Margrethe Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She had a distinctive light and girlish voice. to a father of Scots Irish descent and a mother of Norwegian descent.

She reportedly received the name Blossom because of "a neighbor who delivered peach blossoms to her house the day she was born", On Dearie's first solo album, released two years later, she played the piano but did not sing. mostly in a small trio or quartet setting. Dave Garroway, host of The Today Show and an early fan of Dearie, featured her on several occasions, increasing her exposure with the popular audience. In 1962, Dearie recorded a radio commercial for Hires Root Beer. As it proved very popular, the LP Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs was released as a premium item that could be ordered for one dollar and a proof of purchase.

In 1964, Dearie recorded the album May I Come In? (Capitol/EMI Records). She received a Grammy nomination in 1973 for Best Recording for Children with the album Multiplication Rock.

The songwriter Johnny Mercer, with whom Dearie collaborated for her 1975 song "I'm Shadowing You", According to Dearie, she and Mercer were close friends.

Other

Dearie's voice and songs have been featured on the soundtracks of several films and television shows, including Kissing Jessica Stein, My Life Without Me, The Squid and the Whale, The Adventures of Felix, The Artist, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (series), Call the Midwife (series), and Can You Ever Forgive Me?

She also recorded songs with other singers, including Lyle Lovett. She continued to perform in clubs until 2006. Her skill as both a pianist and vocalist meant she knew "how to complement the singing";

Dearie said that she considered herself "a jazz musician, learning to be a jazz singer". Her style was light and airy and was part of what made Dearie so distinctive. However, vocal coaches at the time argued that her vocal tone was the result of "improper breathing". She never married again.

On February 7, 2009, after a long illness

Discography

  • Miss Blossom Dearie Et Sa Musique "Jazz-Sweet" (Barclay, 1955)
  • Blossom Dearie (Verve, 1957)
  • Give Him the Ooh-La-La (Verve, 1958)
  • Once Upon a Summertime (Verve, 1958)
  • My Gentleman Friend (Verve, 1959)
  • Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green (Verve, 1959)
  • Soubrette Sings Broadway Hit Songs (Verve, 1960)
  • Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs (Hires, 1963)
  • May I Come In? (Capitol, 1964)
  • Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's (Fontana, 1966)
  • Sweet Blossom Dearie (Fontana, 1967)
  • Soon It's Gonna Rain (Fontana, 1967)
  • Ben Bagley's Vernon Duke Revisited (Crewe, 1970)
  • That's Just the Way I Want to Be (Fontana, 1970)
  • Ben Bagley's Arthur Schwartz Revisited (Crewe, 1971)
  • Blossom Dearie Sings (Daffodil, 1973)
  • Ben Bagley's Alan Jay Lerner Revisited (Crewe, 1974)
  • Ben Bagley's De Sylva, Brown & Henderson Revisited (RCA Victor, 1974)
  • Ben Bagley's Frank Loesser Revisited (Painted Smiles, 1974)
  • Ben Bagley's Rodgers and Hart Revisited (RCA Victor, 1974)
  • Ben Bagley's Oscar Hammerstein Revisited (Painted Smiles, 1975)
  • From the Meticulous to the Sublime (Daffodil, 1975)
  • Ben Bagley's Rodgers and Hart Revisited Vol. III (Painted Smiles, 1976)
  • My New Celebrity Is You (Daffodil, 1976)
  • Ben Bagley's Unpublished Cole Porter (Painted Smiles, 1977)
  • Winchester in Apple Blossom Time (Daffodil, 1977)
  • Ben Bagley's Cole Porter Revisited Vol. IV (Painted Smiles, 1979)
  • Blossoms On Broadway (DRG Records, 1979)
  • Needlepoint Magic (Daffodil, 1979)
  • Ben Bagley's E.Y. Harburg Revisited (Painted Smiles, 1980)
  • Ben Bagley's Harold Arlen and Vernon Duke Revisited (Painted Smiles, 1980)
  • Ben Bagley's Ira Gershwin Revisited (Painted Smiles, 1980)
  • Ben Bagley's Kurt Weill Revisited Vol. II (Painted Smiles, 1981)
  • Positively (Daffodil, 1983)
  • Simply (Daffodil, 1983)
  • Et Tu, Bruce (Daffodil, 1984)
  • Chez Wahlberg: Part One (Daffodil, 1985)
  • Songs of Chelsea (Daffodil, 1987)
  • Blossom Dearie Plays April in Paris (Barclay, 1987)
  • Tweedledum & Tweedledee (Two People Who Resemble Each Other, in this Case Musically) with Mike Renzi (Daffodil, 1991)
  • Christmas Spice So Very Nice with Mike Renzi (Daffodil, 1991)
  • Me and Phil: Blossom Dearie Live in Australia (EMI, 1994)
  • Blossom Dearie: Jazz Masters 51 (Verve, 1996)
  • Blossom's Planet (Daffodil, 2000)
  • Live in London Volume 1 (Harkit, 2002)
  • Live in London Volume 2 (Harkit, 2004)

References

Notes

Further reading

  • Balliett, Whitney (1988). American Singers: 27 Portraits in Song. New York, Oxford University Press. .
  • Official website