Ronnie Wells (February 28, 1943 – March 7, 2007) was a

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 ...

singer and educator in the Washington area for more than three decades. She shared the stage with musicians such as

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, Lonnie Liston Smith,

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and

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. Wells was founder of the Fish Middleton Jazz Studies Scholarship and co-founded the East Coast Jazz Festival, an annual jazz festival that continued under her leadership from 1992 through 2006.

Family and education

Wells was born Veronica Burke on February 28, 1943. She came from a musical family. Among her fond recollections were the annual family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas when, after dinner, the family would gather together to play the piano and sing. She was introduced to jazz when she was permitted by her parents at age 11 to attend the Howard Theater every Saturday. There she had to opportunity to see some of Jazz greats perform. She attended

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

during 1960–1962, majoring in liberal arts. She was largely self-taught as a singer.Yanow, The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide 2008

Career

She sang in her church choir, leading her own group when she was 13, both as a singer and as a pianist. Her first experience singing jazz professionally was at age 20 with A Shade Mellow, a Washington, D.C., group consisting of five voices. She knew she wanted to be a professional vocalist when her sister, Shirley Heard, who was performing at a club, invited her to sit in. Her sister Wilhelmina was a member of the John & Wilhelmina Richburg singers. After singing the first song that is all it took. She knew then the music had chosen her. Her first single gig was in 1960 at the Tallyrand where she sang for 1 ½ years before she was approached by Bert Coleman, proprietor at the Top of the Foolery where she performed for 9 ½ years. Although she often had a day job, Wells also toured Europe and South America, often performing in a group with her husband, pianist Ron Elliston. She also performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, the Montpelier Arts Center in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

, and at jazz festivals worldwide. She worked and recorded with the Widespread Jazz Orchestra and recorded regularly for her own Jazz Karma label. Wells was an assistant professor at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

's Department of Music during 1983–2002. She developed and designed its first jazz vocal techniques workshop. She also worked with her husband, running the Elliston Music Studio for Jazz Studies; founded the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund; and was one of the founders and directors of the five-day East Coast Jazz Festival, which began in 1992, running through 2006, which after a break around her death, was resumed in 2010 by her associate Paul Carr under the new name th
Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival

Personal life

Ronnie Wells-Elliston married Kenneth Wells and gave birth to their son, son Sean Wells. The marriage ended in divorce. She married Ron Elliston in 1982 and they were married until her death in 2007.The Washington Post, March 9, 2007

Discography

* ''The Gift'' (Jazz Karma, 1984) * ''After the Lights Go Down Low'' (Jazz Karma, 1990) * ''Make Me a Present of You'' (Jazz Karma, 1992) * ''After You'' (Jazz Karma, 1994) * ''Mostly Ballads'' (Jazz Karma, 1997) * ''Here I Am'' (Jazz Karma, 1998) * ''Live at the 10th Annual East Coast Jazz Festival'' (Jazz Karma, 2001)

References

*Yanow, Scott The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate guide, Beatback books, September 1, 2008 *Washington Post Obituary March 9, 2007

Notes

External links

Biography at Allmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Ronnie 1943 births 2007 deaths American women jazz singers American jazz singers Deaths from lung cancer Howard University alumni 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women