George Evans (singer)

George Evans
Background information
Birth name George Louis Henry Evans
Born (1963-01-23) January 23, 1963
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Vocalist

George Louis Henry Evans (born January 23, 1963, Bloomington, Indiana) is a Canadian vocalist active on the jazz scene. He is a noted recording artist, appears in concerts and clubs, and is heard on television and radio.

Early life

Born in Bloomington, Indiana and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Evans is the child of Dr. Robert Evans (an American) and Professor Lucile Villeneuve Evans (a French-Canadian), both longtime faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Indiana University School of Music (opera department), and McGill University in Montreal. This early exposure to music inspired Evans to have a career in music, while his sister, Julie Evans, became an award-winning architect based in Chicago and later New York City.

Evans attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in the Cincinnati Public Schools, where he majored in musical theater[1] and instrumental music (trombone), and went on to study Musical Theater at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Evans made his way to New York City, and in the 1980s worked toward a career in theater while also appearing as a vocalist. Evans ultimately chose a multi-disciplinary career as a vocalist, broadcaster, producer and archivist.

Professional life

First surfacing as a soloist in the late-'80s in the cabarets of New York City at venues such as Eighty-Eight's and Danny’s Skylight Room, Evans went on to study and perform in the fertile Montreal art and music scene of the '90s. He became a fixture on Montreal radio on CKUT and K103, and for the better part of a decade appeared in clubs and festivals before venturing westward toward Toronto and English Canada in 1999.[1]

Working as a musicologist, Evans has been tapped a total of eight times to select and sequence projects for Verve Records in the US, including much of The Diva Series, focusing on Verve’s best selling great ladies of song. In 2004 he created Here Come The Boys: a Canadian Crooner Collection for Maximum Jazz and Universal Music Canada. His own discography numbers a current total of eight projects, including Bewitched, his first recording with strings, and Live at the Cellar recorded in the revered Vancouver night club.

Career achievements

Evans was nominated the Canadian National Jazz Awards Vocalist of the Year (2003) and Male Vocalist of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009). He has performed across Canada in festivals including The Vancouver International Jazz Festival, The Montreal International Jazz Festival and The Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival. Evans has also appeared at top Canadian jazz clubs such as The Top o' the Senator and The Montréal Bistro in Toronto, The Cellar in Vancouver, and Upstairs in Montréal. Evans continues to be active south of the border, appearing in New York City clubs and cabarets such as The Metropolitan Room and the Laurie Beechman Theater. In 2008 Evans was nominated together with award-winning vocalist Mary Foster Conklin for a MAC Award in the category of best jazz duo or group. As a writer, Evans' column "Vocalizing In Jazz" was a regular feature of Planet Jazz Magazine, and in 2009 he produced a series entitled "The Jazz Standard" for Jazz.fm in Toronto. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Artist discography

Production discography

CD reviews

References

  1. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "George Evans: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
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