Joya Sherrill (August 20, 1924 – June 28, 2010) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

vocalist and children's television show host.

Biography

Sherrill was born in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

, on August 20, 1924. Her first ambition was to become a writer: she was the editor of her school paper. She had a sister, Alice. Sherrill began her career with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

in July 1942 when she was 17 years old. After a period at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

, she rejoined in 1944 and remained with Ellington until 1946, when she left to marry Richard Guilmenot. Ellington considered her one of his favorite singers. "I never really left the band. I did recordings and special occasions. Duke would call me for jobs once a year at least," Sherrill told John S. Wilson in 1979. Sherrill also performed with Ellingtonians

Ray Nance Ray Willis Nance (December 10, 1913 – January 28, 1976) was an American jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer. He is best remembered for his long association with Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Early years Nance was born in Chicago on D ...

and

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...

for many years. She worked with Ellington on the television broadcast of '' A Drum Is a Woman'' (1957), and toured the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

in 1962. The 1965 album '' Joya Sherrill Sings Duke'' features Ellingtonians performing in support. From 1970, Sherrill hosted a children's television show, ''Time for Joya'', later called ''

Joya's Fun School ''Joya's Fun School'' is a children's television series that was produced and broadcast by WPIX-TV in New York City, hosted by Joya Sherrill. After an early iteration with a different title ran in 1970, the series aired weekly from January 3, 197 ...

''. This was recorded for a few years, but was rerun until 1982. In the mid-1970s, she accompanied her husband when he went to Iran for his work. There, she had her own television program, which was broadcast live. She returned to singing in New York near the end of that decade. Her husband died in 1989; they had a son and a daughter. Sherrill died from leukemia at home in

Great Neck, New York Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among th ...

, on June 28, 2010.

Discography

As leader

* ''Sugar and Spice'' with Luther Henderson (Columbia, 1962) * '' Joya Sherrill Sings Duke'' (

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, 1965) * ''Black Beauty: The Duke in Mind'' by Joya Sherrill with Arne Domnérus (Phontastic, 1995)

As guest

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

''Sammy Jumps with Joya'' (Design, 1957) *

'' My People'' (Contact, 1964) * Duke Ellington ''Duke Ellington's Greatest'' (RCA Victor, 1954)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrill, Joya 1924 births 2010 deaths American children's television presenters American jazz singers American women jazz singers Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) Duke Ellington Orchestra members Musicians from Bayonne, New Jersey Singers from New Jersey