Saturday 1 February 2020

Pinky Winters born 1 February 1930


Pinky Winters (born Pyllis Wozniak 1 February 1930, Michigan City, Indiana) looms large among the American vocalists of the postwar era. A compelling and nuanced stylist, she nevertheless remains a virtual cipher among the listening public as a result of a prolonged retirement that included a nearly three-decade hiatus from recording.

Born Phyllis Wozniak in Michigan City, IN, on February 1, 1930, she began piano studies at the age of four, she played her first public concert within a year, and throughout her adolescence performed at venues across the northwest Indiana region. Her first influence was Frank Sinatra. As a child she listened to him on the radio. Then she discovered Judy Garland in the movies. She also listened to Dinah Shore and the Andrews Sisters on her father’s wind-up Victrola. One of the first Great American Songbook albums she owned was Ella Sings Gershwin with Ellis Larkins. Naturally, Sarah Vaughan was Winters' major inspiration from the time she was 15.

After graduating from high school, she briefly tenured at an office job before relocating to Denver, gigging alongside pianist Dick Grove where she first used the stage name of Pinky Winters. When Grove and Winters' future husband, bassist Jim Wolf, relocated to Los Angeles in 1953, she soon followed suit, appearing at the Western Avenue club Starlight in a trio with pianist Bud Lavin and drummer Stan Levey. Winters cut her self-titled debut session for the Vantage label in 1954.  Like Sarah Vaughan, Winters, had no problem veering away from a song's melody in places. Listening to her find her way back is fascinating. She often took such creative chances on the fly. That's the bold and clever jazz musician in her, the artist who liked to take vocal risks without a net.


              Here's Jeepers Creepers from Lonely One in 1958...

                              

Winters' earliest albums were Pinky (1954), Pinky & Zoot (1954, with Zoot Sims) and Lonely One (1958). During this period, whist married to Wolf, they had a daughter. After releasing the 1958 LP Lonely One, she split from Wolf and got an office job to make 
money to raise her daughter. Eventually she met and married Bob Hardaway, who was on the NBC staff as a saxophone and reeds player. She had another daughter and happily raised her children in their lovely home in the Hollywood Hills. During that time, she didn't sing for 13 years.

In 1980 saxophonist Lanny Morgan convinced Winters to make a comeback appearance at the L.A. club Donte's. Upon divorcing Hardaway later that year, she began working steadily, in 1982 beginning a personal and professional partnership with pianist Lou Levy, a much-acclaimed accompanist who previously worked with Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald. 


The albums she recorded after returning to performing were The Shadow of Your Smile (1983), Speak Low (1983), Let's Be Buddies (1985), As Long as There's Music (1994), Happy Madness (1994), Rain Sometimes (2001), World on a String (2006) and Winters in Summer (2010).



In 1992 she performed with the 52-piece Dutch Radio Orchestra in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Following Levy's 2001 death, Winters teamed with pianist/arranger Sir Richard Rodney Bennett for Rain Sometimes. Since her return to active performing, Pinky has enjoyed stellar recordings and continues to be featured in choice concert settings to the delight of her fans. She has also recorded in Japan , where she toured in 2016.

(Edited mainly from Pinky Winters web site &JazzWax)

An amateur video of jazz singer Pinky Winters at one of her five performances in Tokyo, Japan 12/06. From a late afternoon gig at the intime Cafe Albert, operated in honor of F. Albert Sinatra. Pinky is accompanied by Kiichi Futamura on piano. Two days later, she recorded a live album at the TUC Club.

3 comments:

boppinbob said...

For Pinkey Winter’s first three albums plus bonus tracks go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/11062989/Pinky_Winters.rar.html


Pinky Winters ‎– Pinky (1954) [Japanese 1994 edition]

01 Little Girl Blue
02 The World Is Your Balloon
03 Darn That Dream
04 But Not For Me
05 These Foolish Things
06 This Can't Be Love
07 Cool Sazerac
08 How About You

Bonus Tracks:

09 You Better Go Now
10 The Lady Is A Tramp
11 Pennies From Heaven
12 These Foolish Things (Alt. Take)
13 Gone With The Wind
14 The Nearness Of You

Credits:

1-8
Pinky Winters, vocals
Bud Lavin, piano
Jim Wolf, bass
Stan Levey, drums

9-14 [bonus tracks]
Zoot Sims, tenor sax
Mary Hale, trumpet
John Darman, trombone
Ternig Inocencio, piano (except 14)
Jim Wolf, bass
Gerry Hales, drums
Pinky Winters, piano (14 only)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinky Winters ‎– Pinky & Zoot (1954)

01:I'll Remember April
02:Lady Is A Tramp
03:Pennies From Heaven
04:These Foolish Things
05:Dancing On The Ceiling
06:These Foolish Things
07:Gone With The Wind
08:The Nearness Of You
09:Lover Man

Personnel;

Pinky Winters (vo),
Zoot Sims (ts),
Marv Hale (tp),
John Darman (tb),
Ternig Inocencis (p),
Jim Wold (b),
Gerry Male (ds),

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pinky Winters – Lonely One (1958)


01 Lonely One
02 Polka Dots & Moonbeams
03 Cheek To Cheek
04 It Never Entered My Mind
05 You Smell So Good
06 Easy Living
07 Jeepers Creepers
08 I've Got Plenty Of Love
09 Gone With The Wind
10 Pennies From Heaven
11 My Hearts A Child
12 Octobers Dream

This album featured Winters backed by Gerald Wiggins (p), Howard Roberts (g), her husband at the time Jim Wolf (b) and Chico Hamilton (d).

A big thank you to Loadsamusics forum for original posts.

slr in tx said...

A marvelous singer! Thanks, Bob.

Jacdaw said...

Nice. Great to listen to. Thanks, Bob