Patrice Rushen

Born in Los Angeles, California on September 30, 1954, Patrice Rushen is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and pianist who has seamlessly blended jazz and R&B, creating a sound that appeals to fans of both genres. Her music has spilled over into the pop and dance genres as well. She began learning piano at the age of three, she became a child prodigy and started performing at a young age. After playing piano with the All-Star Jazz Band at the Monterey Jazz Festival, she signed with Prestige Records at the age of 18. Rushen released three chiefly instrumental albums for the label – Prelusion (1974), Before the Dawn (1975), and Shout It Out (1977) – before signing with Elektra. Her fourth album, Patrice, leaned in an R&B direction and featured more vocals from Rushen. The jazz community reacted negatively to this change in direction but she was embraced by fans of soul and R&B. Regardless of the critics, the album was the best-charting in her career thus far. In 1982, she released her seventh studio album, Straight from the Heart (1982), which featured some of her best-known material including the Grammy-nominated single “Forget Me Nots”. The song – written by Rushen, Freddie Washington, and Terry McFaddin – was later sampled by many artists including George Michael in “Fastlove” and Will Smith in “Men in Black”. Rushen’s time with Elektra spawned six albums and 18 R&B hits. She switched to Arista Records for 1987’s Watch Out, which highlighted a more dance-oriented direction. Rushen has continued to release albums sporadically but has focused on composing music for film and television as well as producing and more behind-the-scenes projects. Over the years, there have been many compilations of her work including 2002’s The Essentials.