Helen Humes

Biography

Helen Humes was a versatile American singer equally at home with blues, swing standards and ballads. She recorded blues as a teenager in 1927, sang with the *Count Basie Orchestra* from 1938 to 1941, and later enjoyed solo success with 'Be-Baba-Leba' and 'Million Dollar Secret'. Her light, clear voice and faultless jazz phrasing defined albums such as 'Songs I Like to Sing!' for #Contemporary Records#. After a period of retirement, she made a celebrated comeback in 1973 and remained an active, admired performer until her death in 1981.