{"artistName":"Kim Nalley","artistId":115656,"artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/4b4/4b40f18b600838b8aa08fc589290729b_xl.jpg","srcset":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/4b4/4b40f18b600838b8aa08fc589290729b_sm.jpg 50w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/4b4/4b40f18b600838b8aa08fc589290729b_md.jpg 80w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/4b4/4b40f18b600838b8aa08fc589290729b_lg.jpg 200w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/4b4/4b40f18b600838b8aa08fc589290729b_xl.jpg 340w","artistBio":"\u003cp\u003eKim Nalley is an American jazz \u0026amp; blues singer known for her powerful, 3½ octave range that can fill a room with no amplification, melodious scat, and striking stage presence. Nalley is \"like Jessica Rabbit and Louis Armstrong at the same time,\" writer Giorgio Santeria said of her performance at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy. Although she is known for jazz \u0026amp; blues, Kim Nalley has been seen playing folk guitar, singing R\u0026amp;B and spirituals, Yoshi Kato writes for the Metro that \"with a flowing tone, an articulate delivery and a formidable understanding of musical principles and history, Nalley is comfortable in many a vocal setting.\" Kim Nalley is also an actress, a historian, the former owner of the San Francisco jazz club Jazz at Pearl's and recently awarded as one of the \"Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area. \n Early career\nA born singer from a musical family that includes jazz drummer and photographer Reggie Jackson and R\u0026amp;B guitarist-vocalist Earl Whitaker , Kim Nalley received piano lessons from her great-grandmother. Originally pursuing classical voice she studied Drama and Opera at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, CT and Classical Music at Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. At Holy Cross, Kim Nalley showcased her musical range by singing with the power rock combo The Limit, which featured Crusader musicians Garrett Scott Flynn (bass and piccolo), Steve Guerette (guitar, dobro and vocals), Jim Januzzi (guitar, keyboards and ukelele), Allan Harper (guitar, accordion, and bagpipes) and Anthony O'Donnell (trap drums, cowbell, djembe, and triangle). \nShe switched to jazz shortly after moving to San Francisco, CA where she attended UC Berkeley receiving a B.A. in History and singing in the Cal Big Band receiving a See's Candy' Scholarship for Outstanding Musicianship. \nWhile performing weekly with no amplification at a bar/restaurant called the Alta Plaza, director Michael Tilson Thomas discovered Kim Nalley recorded her live and hired her to sing a program of Gershwin tunes with the San Francisco Symphony. She also began performing with the Johnny Nocturne Band for the Rounder/ Bulleye label charting #12 on the Gavin list and embarking on a national and international touring schedule that included the Mountain Stage. She also performed at the long running Teatro Zinzanni as Madame Zinzanni a role also played by Ann Wilson, Joan Baez and Sandra Reeves-Phillips. \nIn 2001, she made local headlines when she left San Francisco to relocate to Switzerland and made local headlines in 2003 when she returned to save the jazz club Jazz at Pearl's from going out of business. \nKim Nalley often cites the Little Rascals and Bug Bunny cartoons as her seminal jazz influences. Kim Nalley often blends history into her concerts to create a historiographical musical. One such concert was recorded on the CD \"She Put a Spell on Me:Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone\" and was shortlisted for a Grammy.\u003c/p\u003e","musicPath":"/music/Kim+Nalley","playStationPath":"/stations/282789348/play","stationId":282789348,"bioPath":"/music/Kim+Nalley/_full_bio","similars":[{"musicPath":"/music/Erin+Bode","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/c25/c2535345aa4bcf3241cac89268bb7f12_md.jpg","artistName":"Erin Bode","artistId":12630,"station_id":113996824},{"musicPath":"/music/Jeanie+Bryson","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/443/443cd66408289256cbec2a8d5cd97f45_md.jpg","artistName":"Jeanie Bryson","artistId":83692,"station_id":269167358},{"musicPath":"/music/William+Galison+Madeleine+Peyroux","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/80b/80bed2b9934fb4ca7077bccf66ddc5dc_md.jpg","artistName":"William Galison \u0026 Madeleine Peyroux","artistId":105031,"station_id":281005614},{"musicPath":"/music/Lynn+Bush","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/247/24704d493b05ca7631687b1e44625a33_md.jpg","artistName":"Lynn Bush","artistId":111959,"station_id":282283899},{"musicPath":"/music/Jeri+Brown","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/2b5/2b5ee3bd24ee5b26268d146e67bdfdf4_md.jpg","artistName":"Jeri Brown","artistId":95963,"station_id":276276046},{"musicPath":"/music/Helen+Humes","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/842/842f635010e1e24c6657018674d37dc2_md.jpg","artistName":"Helen Humes","artistId":114583,"station_id":282639613},{"musicPath":"/music/Frank+Sinatra+Duke+Ellington","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/3f1/3f1ed9db32b68a91ef8487aea85737a4_md.jpg","artistName":"Frank Sinatra \u0026 Duke Ellington","artistId":108352,"station_id":281787963},{"musicPath":"/music/Callie+Cardamon","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/3d8/3d856667569597fa5834db2eb091c590_md.jpg","artistName":"Callie Cardamon","artistId":137583,"station_id":286644532},{"musicPath":"/music/Cleo+Brown","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/1cb/1cbd5aee6ce37d6655091b240729e4dc_md.jpg","artistName":"Cleo Brown","artistId":105110,"station_id":281005652},{"musicPath":"/music/Alex+Pangman","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/30e/30ec29f7b1214a178f19a72b46a6be8f_md.jpg","artistName":"Alex Pangman","artistId":121742,"station_id":283947078},{"musicPath":"/music/Wendee+Glick","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/5a2/5a267ce8bee52b91e4bc326747f03b60_md.jpg","artistName":"Wendee Glick","artistId":117995,"station_id":283168762},{"musicPath":"/music/John+Proulx","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/ac3/ac3ec641fda2ea63b5686312a8008c3e_md.jpg","artistName":"John Proulx","artistId":113446,"station_id":282569324},{"musicPath":"/music/Victoria+Hart","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/9ff/9fff6d05bee95cf96716bc03a649d33d_md.jpg","artistName":"Victoria Hart","artistId":120430,"station_id":283410955},{"musicPath":"/music/Janis+Siegel","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/6ca/6ca30353a69c400bcfdf7b22ad7c63ad_md.jpg","artistName":"Janis Siegel","artistId":112893,"station_id":282284983},{"musicPath":"/music/Ilona+Knopfler","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/8f6/8f6c423f75ab4fc9064177fbda5bec73_md.jpg","artistName":"Ilona Knopfler","artistId":83689,"station_id":269167353},{"musicPath":"/music/Inga+Swearingen","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/472/472d403fc112fdfe37abcbb504257e2f_md.jpg","artistName":"Inga Swearingen","artistId":133242,"station_id":285651426},{"musicPath":"/music/Hadda+Brooks","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/b63/b63673c37605f817987a58e21995d10e_md.jpg","artistName":"Hadda Brooks","artistId":116519,"station_id":283090749},{"musicPath":"/music/Toots+Thielemans+Elis+Regina","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/a22/a22d038f853a23ceade92e4a28dc6fc8_md.jpg","artistName":"Toots Thielemans \u0026 Elis Regina","artistId":104976,"station_id":281290060}]}