Rebecca Parris
PMP Network Presents
Rebecca Parris is a jazz singer who discusses her musical background, including her early life in Newton, Massachusetts. She shares her diverse experiences performing various genres, from opera and country western to hard rock and roll.
Rebecca Parris
Jazz Singer
About Rebecca Parris
Rebecca Parris was an American jazz singer born Ruth Blair MacCloskey in Newton, Massachusetts. She won nine Boston Music Awards between 1985 and 1993 and performed with jazz legends including Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, and Wynton Marsalis. She headlined prestigious venues including Blue Note, Birdland, and the Apollo Theatre, earning recognition for her scorching scat runs and deeply moving interpretations of ballads.
In this interview
- Recalls growing up in Newton, Massachusetts, saying her mother told her she came out with a microphone in her hand
- Describes her diverse musical background including opera, country western, theater, and top forty music
- Talks about performing hard rock and roll with a band called Freestyle for a year
- Explains she had to force-feed herself hard rock music for a month, having never been a fan
“My mother used to tell me I came out with a microphone in my hand.”— Rebecca Parris, in this interview
Since this interview
Rebecca Parris gave her final full concert on March 31, 2018 at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts in Plymouth. She died on June 17, 2018 in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts at age 66.
