Rebecca Parris Explained

Rebecca Parris
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Ruth Blair MacCloskey[1] [2]
Birth Date:28 December 1951
Birth Place:Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:South Yarmouth, Massachusetts[3]
Genre:Jazz
Occupation:Singer
Years Active:1985–2018

Rebecca Parris (born Ruth Blair MacCloskey; December 28, 1951 – June 17, 2018) was an American jazz singer. During her career she appeared with Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Burton, and Dizzy Gillespie.[4] She performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival, and the International Floating Jazz Festival. She won the Boston Music Awards nine times.

Early life

Born Ruth Blair MacCloskey in Newton, Massachusetts, Parris was the youngest of three daughters born to musicians Edmund M. MacCloskey and Shirley Robinson, and the niece of vocal coach Blair McCloskey.[2] [5] She derived her stage names, respectively, from her own nickname, Becky (acquired early in life owing to her perceived resemblance to the title character of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), and from the Cole Porter song "I Love Paris".[1]

Critical reception

"I hear a little Carmen McRae when I listen to Rebecca", said Ron DellaChiesa, the jazz disk jockey at WGBH in Boston. "And a little Sarah Vaughan. I think she's on that level".[6]

"Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae were my friends while they were alive, and it was a huge blessing to know them," said Parris. "And being accepted as one of them was huge".[7]

Death

On June 17, 2018, Parris died at the age of 66.[8]

Discography

YearTitleLabel
1984A Passionate FlingShira
1990Love Comes and GoesEntertainment Exclusives
1993SpringMusicmasters
1994A Beautiful FriendshipAltenburgh
1994It's Another Day with Gary BurtonGRP
1998Live at Chan's Shira
1999Double Rainbow Shira
2001My Foolish HeartKoch
2002The Secret of ChristmasShira
2007You Don't Know MeSaying It with Jazz

External links

Notes and References

  1. Montminy, Judith (May 14, 1989). "Rebecca Parris' Career Reaches High Note". The Boston Globe. p. . Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. McKenna, Kathleen (May 14, 2006). "'It's been a drag,' but it's spring, again, for Parris; Parris back on stage again". The Boston Globe. Sec. South, pg. 11
  3. Web site: Rebecca Parris, Jazz Singer, Is Dead at 66 . Andrew R. . Chow . June 22, 2018 . The New York Times . June 25, 2018. https://archive.today/20180625091512/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/obituaries/rebecca-parris-jazz-singer-is-dead-at-66.html . 2018-06-25.
  4. Web site: Rebecca Parris, 66, jazz singer of uncommon range and emotional depth . Msn.com. 20 June 2018.
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/439705633/?clipping_id=126218261 "Obituaries: Shirley MacCloskey; Was organist at Newton church"
  6. Web site: All About Jazz. All About Jazz. 20 June 2018.
  7. News: Noted jazz singer revisits home turf at Newton South. Denise. Taylor. 8 September 2005. 20 June 2018. The Boston Globe.
  8. Web site: Local jazz icon Rebecca Parris dies at 66. Emily. Clark. Duxbury.wickedlocal.com. 21 June 2018.