Maud Meyer was a Sierra Leonean

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

jazz singer who rose to prominence during the 1950s. She was born in

Port Harcourt, Rivers State Port Harcourt (Nigerian Pidgin, Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano (city), Ka ...

, in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. From an early age, Meyer was exposed to music and had learnt from her mother who had a band. Musically, she was strongly influenced by the sounds of

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

. "Meyer’s skills were unrivalled; she would listen to any kind of music and convert it to jazz instantly". According to Emeka Keazor, “She was one of the greatest female jazz singers of all time.” Meyer garnered a massive following on the club circuits. She also performed with various popular bands across Africa.

References

Singers from Port Harcourt Nigerian people of Sierra Leonean descent 20th-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian jazz singers Nigerian women jazz singers Jazz-blues musicians Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{Nigeria-musician-stub

See also

References