Elisabeth Withers

Best known for earning a Tony Award nomination as Shug Avery in the stage adaptation of The Color Purple, vocalist Elisabeth Withers has long pursued a parallel path as a singer and songwriter drawn to neo-soul and R&B. She entered the world in Joliet, IL, and departed with a scholarship that took her to the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Upon completion of those studies she relocated to New York City, where she enrolled at NYU and received a master’s degree in 2000. Before stepping onto the Broadway stage she contributed background vocals to numerous acts, among them Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez. During the same period she also began composing and issuing dance tracks under the name Elle Patrice. The two successful singles she put out in that guise, “Rising” and “Emotions,” ultimately drew the notice of soul artist Nick Ashford, who steered her to auditions for the Broadway production of The Color Purple. In 2007 Withers issued her first solo album, It Can Happen to Anyone, through Blue Note.