Dianne Davidson

Davidson's vocal gifts may well reflect a family legacy, since her grandmother sang opera and her mother maintains that she emerged from the womb already in song. In her early years she dabbled with piano and saxophone before devoting herself to singing and shaping a singular vocal approach. Her recording path opened at nineteen when she produced and cut her own LP for Janus Records after fronting soul standards with an eight-piece band. Two further Janus albums appeared before the company folded in 1974. More recently she has worked with Oakland's Olivia Records. The strong, fervent voice heard on her own releases has also supplied backing for Linda Ronstadt and Tracy Nelson. Although she manages blues, R&B, and pop ballads capably, her most powerful material remains the driving rockers that let her project the words at full force.