Dakota Staton
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| Dakota Staton | |
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 The Late, Late Show (1957)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dakota Staton |
| Also known as | Aliyah Rabia |
| Born | June 3, 1930 |
| Origin |  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA |
| Died | April 10, 2007 (aged 76) |
| Genre(s) | Jazz R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930–April 10, 2007),[1] also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period,[2] was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit, "The Late, Late Show".
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[edit] Biography
Born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she attended George Westinghouse High School and studied music at the Filion School of Music in Pittsburgh. Later she performed regularly in the Hill District, a jazz hotspot, as a vocalist with the Joe Wespray Orchestra, a popular Pittsburgh orchestra. She next spent several years in the nightclub circuit in such cities as Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While in New York, she was noticed singing at a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand by Dave Cavanaugh, a producer for Capitol Records. She was signed and released several singles, her success leading her to win Down Beat magazine's "Most Promising New Comer" award in 1955. In 1958, Staton wed Talib Ahmad Dawud, a black Antiguan Muslim trumpeter and noted critic of Elijah Muhammad[3].
She released several critically acclaimed albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including: The Late, Late Show (1957), whose title track was her biggest hit, In the Night (1957), a collaboration with pianist George Shearing, Dynamic! (1958) and Dakota at Storyville (1961), a live album recorded at the Storyville jazz club in Boston. Staton moved to England in the mid-1960s. She continued to record semi-regularly, her recordings taking an increasingly strong gospel and blues influence.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Guidry, Nate (April 12, 2007). "Jazz vocalist Dakota Staton, 76, dies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
- ^ Fox, Margolit (April 13, 2007). "Dakota Staton, 76, Jazz Singer With a Sharp, Bluesy Sound, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved on April 16, 2007.
- ^ Clegg, Claude Andrew. An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad. Page 132. St. Martin's Griffin, 1997.
[edit] References
- Guidry, Nate (April 13, 2007). "Obituary: Dakota Staton / Acclaimed vocalist and Pittsburgh native" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on May 25, 2007.
