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Last night on American Idol judge Randy Jackson was obviously in awe of the grandmother of one of the contestants auditioning in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Last night on American Idol judge Randy Jackson was obviously in awe of the grandmother of one of the contestants auditioning in Greensboro, North Carolina. The contestant was 17-year-old Paris Bennett, and her grandmother was Ann Nesby. While Ann Nesby is not a household name to most viewers, she is one of the most acclaimed vocalists in gospel music circles.
Ann Nesby was the lead vocalist for the gospel choir Sounds of Blackness. They are a 40 voice group and 10 piece orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With production assistance from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they were catapulted to national acclaim with the album The Evolution of Gospel released in 1991.
Ann Nesby has since left the group, but she is now an acclaimed gospel solo artist. Randy Jackson was accurate in his assessment that Paris Bennett "has the lineage." However, she has obviously cultivated her own style and presence having walked in and knocked the judges dead with a Dixie Chicks number followed by what Bennett identified as a Billie Holiday song.
Note: The second song Paris sang was in fact the jazz classic "Take Five," originally written by Paul Desmond and performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Lyrics were later added by Iola Brubeck. One of the defnitive vocal versions of "Take Five" was recorded by Carmen McRae in 1961.
Photo courtesy Its Time Child Records.