Biography
Lynda Jamison began performing as a vocalist only after reaching her forties, an unusually late point to embark on such an ambitious path. Even so, the delay did not prevent her from shifting successfully from her earlier role as a wife and mother in Pittsburgh to a cabaret artist with national visibility. Three albums stand to her credit, two of them shaped by arranger John Oddo, whose long tenure as musical director for Rosemary Clooney established him among the field’s leading figures. Her entry into the cabaret circuit occurred in 1993 when she secured an engagement at Cardillo’s Club Café in Pittsburgh through the assistance of fellow Steel City jazz singer Sandy Staley. Guidance from Margaret Whiting and Julie Wilson further refined her approach during those formative years. Subsequent travels took her to prominent venues across the United States, among them the Algonquin, the Plush Room, and the Cinegrill. An eight-page profile in Life magazine later chronicled this mid-life reinvention. Jamison possesses a supple, wide-ranging voice that moves comfortably across jazz and other idioms, yet her greatest asset remains her gift for narrative, the element that distinguishes exceptional cabaret from ordinary performance. Beyond the stage she directs the Foundation for the Gift of Life, an organization that arranges for children from abroad requiring advanced cardiac procedures to receive treatment in the United States. When not touring or recording she resides with her family in Pittsburgh, PA.
Albums
