Nancy Wilson Portrait

Nancy Wilson was born on February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio. In 1956, Wilson auditioned and won a spot as a vocalist for Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn Club Band. Afterwards, she moved to New York where she began working as a secretary at the New York Institute of Technology. She became friends with jazz saxophonist “Cannonball” Adderley who introduced her to her manager John Levy. With Levy’s help, she landed a record deal with Capitol Records and released her songs Guess Who I Saw Today and Sometimes I’m Happy.

She won a Grammy Award for her album How Glad I Am. Wilson was the host of the Nancy Wilson Show from 1967 to 1968 and has appeared on several television shows and films throughout her career including I Spy and The Cosby Show. Wilson won her second Grammy Award with her album the Nancy Wilson Show. She was the host of the Washington, D.C. based radio program, The Jazz Profiles.