Carmen McRae always had a nice voice (if not on the impossible level of an Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan) but it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretations of lyrics that made her most memorable. She studied piano early on and had her first important job singing with Benny Carter's big band (1944), but it would be another decade before her career had really gained much momentum…
The 105th edition of the popular compilation series will be released on May 8, pushed back from its original April 18 date due to the coronavirus pandemic. Four Number 1s on the Official Singles Chart feature on Now 105: The Weeknd's Blinding Lights, Sain't Jhn's Roses, Stormzy's Own It and Lewis Capaldi's Before You Go. A further 16 Top 10 singles (at the time of writing) also make the 46-song tracklist, including Dua Lipa's Don't Start Now and Physical, Harry Styles' Adore You, Lady Gaga's Stupid Love and Justin Bieber's Yummy and Intentions.
Carmen McRae always had a nice voice (if not on the impossible level of an Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan) but it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretations of lyrics that made her most memorable. She studied piano early on and had her first important job singing with Benny Carter's big band (1944), but it would be another decade before her career had really gained much momentum. McRae married and divorced Kenny Clarke in the '40s, worked with Count Basie (briefly) and Mercer Ellington (1946-1947), and became the intermission singer and pianist at several New York clubs.