“A Lady Sings a Song – Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson” is a Southern California vocalist’s homage to the international singing sensation. Weekes is set to perform her tribute to Wilson on June 6, at the Catalina Jazz Club on Sunset Boulevard.
Weekes said she was born into showbiz. Both of her parents are New Yorkers who grew up in Harlem. Her grandparents owned a diner in Harlem called Weekes’ Luncheonette that regularly attracted prominent Black entertainers of the period.
She said her teenaged father served fried egg sandwiches to jazz great Duke Ellington who lived around the corner.
Other musical greats including, Count Basie, Billy Strayhorn, Diahann Carroll, along with young actors Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte were also regular patrons of the restaurant.
Related Stories
Inglewood Holds Black History Celebration and Family Festival
Kaiser Physicians Donate $10,000 to Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention
“We were also around jazz musicians as children,” Weekes said. “My sister and I were used to hearing live jazz in the house.”
Nancy Wilson was one of Weekes and her sibling’s favorite artists, and at the urgings of her mother, they would sing along to Wilson’s recordings at home using the coffee table as their stage.
Weekes’ playtime performances are in part the inspiration for her Nancy Wilson tribute. She also said her parents’ friendship with Wilson’s road manager, Sparky Tavares, was another.
She added, “And so we had her recordings, so there’s that.”
Weekes recalled being encouraged to sing from a young age by family friends and that love of singing is still with her today. “It was something I was always going to do. I don’t know if there was ever a question that I wouldn’t,” said Weekes.
Today, Weekes is perhaps best known for performing live on stage throughout SoCal venues, and her music discography includes the albums “Round Midnight” and “Pure Imagination.” She self-produced “Imagination” under her Amber Inn Productions label.
Weekes describes her vocal stylings as “honey-dipped cashmere with a drop of sorrel.” She explained, “I’ve never been a belter. I appreciate those who do that and can do that. I’ve always gravitated towards the singers who are more lyrical and who are invested in telling the story.”
Weekes puts Wilson into the latter category because of her classiness, elegance, her ability to engage with the audience in a personal way, and all while wearing beautiful dresses.
“She [Wilson] would almost whisper in the way that she spoke,” said Weekes. “She had a great way of firmly placing her tongue inside of her cheek. Oh, she’s going to be elegant about it, but she’s going to have a sense of humor about certain things.”
Weekes noted Wilson’s song “Ten Good Years” as an example of Wilson’s great wit on her “Live at the Coconut Grove” album.
She said to her knowledge, she is the only person to record that song since Wilson. “I always loved the song because she sings it straight, but the lyrics are hysterical,” said Weekes.
In addition to Wilson’s comedic storytelling, Weekes said she also admires the way Wilson can take her audiences on a ride into the world of romance.
“One of the ways she does that so masterfully is in the song “Midnight Sun,” which I also recorded,” said Weekes.
According to Weekes, her tribute is more of an homage because tribute implies that you sound like the person being honored – in this case Wilson — and Weekes does not.
However, her upcoming Catalina Jazz Club performance is a note of thanks from Weekes’ to Wilson for teaching her how to take her audience on a journey through music.
For tickets and additional information on “A Lady Sings a Song – Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson,” visit www.amberweekes.com.
