| Jeanne Trevor | |
| Birth Place: | Harlem, New York City |
| Death Date: | (aged 84) |
| Death Place: | Ferguson, Missouri |
| Genre: | Jazz, opera, gospel, R&B |
| Label: | Gaslight Records, Norman Records, Mainstream Records, Catalyst Productions, ei Productions |
| Past Member Of: | St. Louis Jazz Quartet |
Jeanne Trevor (died 24 October 2022) was an American vocalist known as the "First Lady of St. Louis Jazz".[1] Originally from Harlem, New York City, she moved to St. Louis in the early 1960s to perform in the Gaslight Square district. She played most of the Square's top jazz clubs and recorded several singles. In the 1970s, she was part of the internationally touring St. Louis Jazz Quartet. Despite being best known as a jazz vocalist, she preferred not to classify herself as one: her other influences included opera, gospel, and R&B. She died in Ferguson, Missouri at the age of 84. She remained relatively unknown outside of St. Louis.
Trevor was born and raised in Harlem, near the edge of its Hispanic quarter. Her father was a singer and guitarist originally from Richmond, Virginia. She was exposed to a wide variety of music through the Apollo Theater and performed at the venue's famed Amateur Night. After graduating high school, she moved to the West Coast with her relatives and majored in drama at Los Angeles City College, working as a secretary to pay for her education. Her first professional singing engagements were in San Francisco and Los Angeles.[2]
Trevor had a minor role in The Oregon Trail (1959).
The family again relocated to St. Louis in the early 1960s on the suggestion of a friend of Trevor's cousin. During her time in Gaslight Square, she performed at locations including the Black Horse Pub, Vanity Fair, Le Jazz Hot, and the Crystal Palace, and recorded singles for Norman Wienstroer's labels Norman and Gaslight Records.[3] [4] [5]
In 1965, Trevor recorded Pow! Jeannie [<nowiki/>[[sic]]] Trevor Sings for Mainstream Records, featuring saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum and the Quartette Trés Bien. She was irritated by the misspelling of her name and the fact that the album cover didn't feature her photo.[6] :80
Trevor became a DJ at then-radio station KADI in 1967.[7]
In 1969 and throughout the 1970s, Trevor was part of the internationally touring St. Louis Jazz Quartet, which visited locations in Australia, Alaska, Senegal, and Turin and played with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The group recorded a self-titled album for ei Productions in 1972.:93
In 1999, Trevor released the album Love You Madly through Catalyst Productions, featuring saxophonist Willie Akins.:130
Trevor continued to perform well into her old age. She appeared in 22 musical productions at The Muny from 1986 to 2011. She suffered from heart disease later in life due to secondhand smoke exposure, eventually requiring bypass surgery. She died in a Ferguson hospital on October 24, 2022, at the age of 84.
Trevor preferred not to be classified as a jazz vocalist, describing herself instead as a "modern American singer". She cited Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, and Ella Fitzgerald as influences.[8]
Trevor received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Grand Center's Sixth Annual Visionary Awards in 2008.[9] In 2009, she received an Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts from the St. Louis Arts Awards, which are sponsored by the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis.[10]
Trevor was nominated for the Riverfront Times' 2009 Music Awards in the category "Best Jazz Artist".[11]
Trevor was an inaugural member of the Ferguson Walk of Fame, which honors people born or living in Ferguson.[12]