Denise King was born and raised in West Philadelphia and is the third of five children. She was always an artistic person, focusing at a very young age on visual arts, fashion design and dance. Born with a passion for anything artistic, she danced and sang in high school. After a few performances under the direction of Faye Snow in West Philadelphia High School, she was asked to audition to dance with Philadanco when the company was initially formed. After graduating from West Philadelphia High School and Delaware County Community College, Denise went on to pursue a career in healthcare. She worked in OB-GYN at a major teaching hospital in Philadelphia. For thirteen years she worked in Oncology, In-vitro Fertilization and High Risk OB as a Medical Assistant and department floater. All after marriage, divorce and three children. Nineteen eighty-three was a pivotal point in her life. Her popularity as a singer was growing as was her career at the hospital. It was evident that she was on a collision course. One day after a long day at the hospital and an even longer night performing in Atlantic City, she arrived at the hospital completely exhausted. It
was then that she knew she had to make a decision. Did she want to give up music which had now become her passion or continue with her job in healthcare? But, music won out — Denise was born to sing and a career that has spanned across two decades was born.
Unlike her brothers who were drummers in R&B bands, Denise had no true interest in becoming a performer. At thirteen she was introduced to Jazz by an uncle, Herbert Tatum, who had an extensive collection of Jazz LP’s and a cousin Cynthia who had a love of Nina Simone. Her “studies” involved hours of listening to the Jazz greats, both vocalists and instrumentalists. Denise borrowed phrasing styles from Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole and Frank Sinatra. She gained an appreciation for lyrics from Lil Jimmy Scott, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McCrae and Nina Simone. Listening as intensely to Jazz as she did R&B or music of her era she had no idea that her listening sessions were preparing her for a career in music.
She was “discovered” by a friend who heard her singing outside of her home and introduced her to the world of Jazz performance. The early gigs were difficult in that she was painfully stage shy. But with the help of Sam Reed, sax man and leader of the legendary Uptown Theater Orchestra she overcame her stage fright. Her early performance experiences involved sharing the stage with many legends, Butch Ballard, Arthur Harper, Sam Dougherty, Cecil Payne, Jymie Merritt, Bootsie Barnes, Lex Humphries and many, many more.10
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
They taught her the importance of having something to say every time she stepped up to the microphone. They stressed the importance of telling a story through the words and music and not just singing the song. Their instruction paid off. One night while performing at Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia, Denise met Dexter Wansel, writer,arranger, producer, and A&R director at Philadelphia International Records. That meeting would forge a work relationship that has spanned twenty years.
A singer, who cares about the song, Ms King said: “I’m a sucker for the lyrics and not interested in vocal gymnastics. I want to hear the story the writer has to tell.” And for this, those who share King”s love of Gershwin and Porter, can only be thankful. She sings pop and jazz standards with touches of the blues, soul and even gospel in a voice steeped in a sophisticated, swinging, sometimes soulful, satin style much like one of her idol, Sarah Vaughan. Some of her favorites: “The Nearness of You,” “Poor Butterfly,” “Fever,” “Stolen Moments” and “Crazy.” Her own favorite singers include: Sarah, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Sinatra and, yes, even Patsy Cline.
Ms. King has sung at almost all of the top clubs in Philadelphia, several in New York, Paris, Turkey, Brazil, Africa, Germany and Japan during the past 20 years. She started her musical career in her thirties and has proclaimed herself a torch bearer. She holds the preservation and presentation of Jazz close to her heart. In 1999 due to many cuts in funding for the arts in schools, dwindling numbers at Jazz concerts and a need for musicians to have a supportive venue in which to play, she expanded beyond singing and founded Denise King Entertainment. She strongly believes in giving back to the community and through programs such as Be-Bop and Books (a literacy program for children) and Friday Night Jazz at Cedar Park, which takes place on Friday evenings through the Summer at Cedar Park 50th & Baltimore Aves in West Philly she has been able to present free concerts for the past nine years. The grand aim of all of these programs is to bridge the gap between our younger generation, our more established citizens and the variety of cultures which make up our neighborhood. Denise says “West Philly is rich in history and culture and is brimming with artist in many different genre’s and disciplines. West Philly is lucky enough to have a wide variety of people and cultures who make
up this wonderful community. In 2005 The Mellon Corporation awarded her, the first
female recipient, The Community Award for her Friday Night Jazz Series. Denise states with much enthusiasm, “We’re all people and we all pretty much want the same things. Safe streets, safe schools, decent jobs, equal rights and opportunities. When we talk more, we learn who we are. Talking eliminates the guess work. Jazz is a great icebreaker and a great way to get the conversation started!” She is quick to note that you can not imagine the number of world renown artist living right in your own back yard. Many Jazz artist of note could live anywhere in the world but they’re right here in Philadelphia.
