Fontella Bass
Many people think of Fontella Bass, born in St. Louis on July 3, 1940, as a soul singer. Her hit "Rescue Me" was one of the Sixties' biggest soul records by a female vocalist, and continues to be heard today on oldies radio and in advertising, television and movies. (The song was also featured on the recent PBS special about John Lennon's personal jukebox as the only record by a female artist on the Beatle's portable juke.)
However, Ms. Bass is in fact a multi-talented singer and pianist who was raised singing gospel and got her professional start playing the blues with Oliver Sain and Little Milton. She also has a number of credits as a jazz vocalist, mostly notably three recordings with the Art Ensemble of Chicago during the time she was married to the late Lester Bowie, as well as sessions with David Murray, the World Saxophone Quartet and many others.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Bass a couple of years ago for the Riverfront Times, and the resulting story gives an broad overview of her career and what she's been up in the new millenium. (Her Wikipedia entry, this brief biography and this account of her gospel comeback fill in much of the rest of the story.)
At the time, she had recently completed some guest vocals for the British dance music group Cinematic Orchestra, and the track "All That You Give" from those sessions is available as a free download here. You might also enjoy hearing this interview Ms. Bass gave earlier this year to the radio program American Routes, available in Real Audio format here.
Though she's already secured a spot on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, Fontella Bass remains active with her group the Voices of St. Louis (which often includes pianist Ptah Williams and the Bosman Twins on saxes and flutes), touring in Europe and occasionally in America. We wish her many more happy, healthy and productive years to come.
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