Nora Jones

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Practically everyone in the country is now familiar with Nora Jones, the pop star phenomenon. However, few know the humble origins of this ingenious, precocious jazz singer. Nora Jones was born in 1979 in New York and moved Texas when she was only four years old. After listening to lots of radio and singing in her church choir, she began taking piano lessons and practicing the alto saxophone. One of the critical moments in her career came when she first heard Billy Holiday's rendition of the classic jazz standard, "You Go to My Head." Jones claims that she played this track again and again, gaining inspiration and strength from it on every hearing. At the age of 15, she entered a special school for Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. This same school produced Erykah Badu, another celebrated jazz vocalist. After winning a number of original song composition and jazz vocalist contests, Jones heeded the call of New York City. She moved there in 1999 and began exploring the diverse and eclectic music scene. In December of 1999, she developed a band with some local musicians. In less than one year's time, she got signed to Blue Note Records based on a few demo recordings and a live performance. With the help of Blue Note and some veteran producers, she cobbled together her debut album, Come Away with Me. When Jones began recording the tracks for Come Away with Me in May 2001, she and her recording partners had little idea that they were in the process of creating one of the best-selling jazz vocals albums of all time. Today, thanks to the multiplatinum success of Come Away with Me, Nora Jones may be the world's single most prominent female jazz vocalist.