Biography
Avery Sunshine blends soul, gospel, jazz, and R&B into a style all her own as a vocalist and songwriter. Her performances have spanned Broadway stages, the Democratic National Convention, and club and festival circuits across Europe. Born Denise White, she grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, before settling in Atlanta. There she first developed her craft by singing and accompanying herself on piano during church services. At Spellman College she immersed herself in the local R&B circuit, laying the foundation for her professional path.
Her earliest recorded vocal appeared on the Japan-only house 12-inch “Stalk You,” which later received multiple remixes and remains a fixture in her concerts. She contributed vocals to the soundtrack for The Fighting Temptations and, in 2005, served as lead keyboardist for Tyler Perry’s stage production Meet the Browns. Two years later, Grammy- and Tony-winning singer Jennifer Holliday enlisted her as choral director for Dreamgirls at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta. Four daily sets at the 2008 Democratic National Convention brought her wider notice and led to an invitation to perform at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
In 2010 she issued her self-titled debut album, which she co-produced alongside lyricist, guitarist, and longtime collaborator Dana Johnson. The recording showcased the breadth of her vocal range and featured appearances by Roy Ayers and Christian McBride. That same year she took a principal role in Douglas Tappin’s musical drama I Dream, directed by Jasmine Guy. After touring with B.B. King and Ledisi in 2011, she released Live at Union Chapel the following year. She joined the Shanachie roster in 2013 and delivered The Sun Room in May 2014. Co-produced with Johnson and Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, the album reached number three on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart while also appearing on the R&B and Billboard 200 lists.
January 2016 brought the single “Come Do Nothing,” setting the stage for her next studio album, Twenty Sixty Four, which arrived that April.
Her earliest recorded vocal appeared on the Japan-only house 12-inch “Stalk You,” which later received multiple remixes and remains a fixture in her concerts. She contributed vocals to the soundtrack for The Fighting Temptations and, in 2005, served as lead keyboardist for Tyler Perry’s stage production Meet the Browns. Two years later, Grammy- and Tony-winning singer Jennifer Holliday enlisted her as choral director for Dreamgirls at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta. Four daily sets at the 2008 Democratic National Convention brought her wider notice and led to an invitation to perform at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
In 2010 she issued her self-titled debut album, which she co-produced alongside lyricist, guitarist, and longtime collaborator Dana Johnson. The recording showcased the breadth of her vocal range and featured appearances by Roy Ayers and Christian McBride. That same year she took a principal role in Douglas Tappin’s musical drama I Dream, directed by Jasmine Guy. After touring with B.B. King and Ledisi in 2011, she released Live at Union Chapel the following year. She joined the Shanachie roster in 2013 and delivered The Sun Room in May 2014. Co-produced with Johnson and Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, the album reached number three on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart while also appearing on the R&B and Billboard 200 lists.
January 2016 brought the single “Come Do Nothing,” setting the stage for her next studio album, Twenty Sixty Four, which arrived that April.
Albums
