Diane Schuur

Diane Schuur is a jazz singer from Tacoma, Washington. Complications from her early birth resulted in a complete loss of her vision. From the age of three she was singing and had her first public performance aged ten at the Tacoma Holiday Inn. A performance of 'Amazing Grace' at the 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival proved to be the turning point in her career. Stan Getz heard the performance and went on to get her a spot at a televised concert from the White House in 1982. She was signed by GRP and has been a prolific recording artist ever since.

Schuur's greatest success to date was the 1987 album 'Diane Schuur & The Count Basie Orchestra', earning her the top spot on the Billboard Jazz Charts for 33 weeks and a Grammy for Best Female Jazz Performance, an award she also took home the previous year for 'Timeless'.

Schuur has put out some 18 original albums featuring artists including Barry Manilow, Maynard Ferguson, José Feliciano, Stan Getz, Alison Krauss and B.B. King and kept up a regular touring schedule, performing alongside the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder.