Described by Billie Holiday as the only white woman who could sing the blues, Kay Starr also caught the attention of the jazz saxophonist Lester Young. In a 1958 interview with the jazz writer and producer Chris Albertson, Prez was asked if he had ever heard the blues singer Bessie Smith in person. He had. And could he think of any singer who reminded him of Bessie? “Yes,” said Young, “Kay Starr.” Not the answer Albertson was expecting. Surely, he suggested, someone like Dakota Staton might be closer? Prez urged Albertson: “Listen to her voice, and play one of Bessie’s records. See if you hear something.” Follow his advice today and you may discover he was quite right.
