Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist and singer known for her

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' magazine named her the second greatest jazz

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

of the decade (2000–2009), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time. Krall is the only jazz singer to have had eight albums debuting at the top of the ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums. To date, she has won three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

and eight

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

s. She has also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum albums.

Early years

Krall was born on November 16, 1964, in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...

, British Columbia, the daughter of Adella A. (''née'' Wende), an elementary school teacher, and Stephen James "Jim" Krall, an accountant. Krall's only sibling, Michelle, is a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

). Krall's father played piano at home, and her mother sang in a community choir. Krall began studying piano herself at the age of four and took exams through The Royal Conservatory of Music. In high school, she was a member of a student jazz group; at 15, she began playing professionally in local restaurants. Krall won a scholarship to attend the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in Boston, where she studied from 1981 to 1983, before spending time in Los Angeles to play jazz. She returned to Canada to record her first album in 1992.

Career

Krall recorded her first album, '' Stepping Out'', for

Justin Time Records Justin Time Records is a Canadian record company and independent record label founded in Montreal by Jim West. It was established in 1983 and specialises in jazz and blues. Although Justin Time initially recorded Canadian musicians such as Olive ...

in 1992; the album was released in 1993. She was accompanied by bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. It caught the attention of producer Tommy LiPuma, who produced her second album, ''

Only Trust Your Heart ''Only Trust Your Heart'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on February 14, 1995, by GRP Records. Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Only Trust Your Heart''. Musicians * Dia ...

'' (1995). Her third album, '' All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio'' (1996), was nominated for a Grammy and continued for 70 weeks in the ''Billboard'' jazz charts. '' Love Scenes'' (1997) quickly became a hit record with the trio of Krall,

Russell Malone Russell Malone (born November 8, 1963) is an American jazz guitarist. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988 and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990s.Neuroth, Matt. (2008). ''Bio: Russell Malone.'' Re ...

(guitar), and Christian McBride (bass). In August 2000, Krall partnered with

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

for a 20-city tour, and in 2008–09 they worked together again for a song on the TV series '' Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...'' Orchestral arrangements by

Johnny Mandel John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...

provided the background for her fifth studio album '' When I Look in Your Eyes'' (1999), her first released through

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

. The band mix was kept, following arrangements on '' The Look of Love'' (2001) created by Claus Ogerman; this record achieved platinum status and reached the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200. The title track from the album, a cover of the '' Casino Royale'' standard popularized in the late 1960s by Dusty Springfield and Sérgio Mendes, reached number 22 on the adult contemporary chart. In September 2001, Krall began a world tour. Her concert at the Paris Olympia was recorded and released in 2002 as her first live record, ''

Live in Paris ''Live in Paris'' may refer to: Albums *Live in Paris (Art Ensemble of Chicago album), ''Live in Paris'' (Art Ensemble of Chicago album) *Live in Paris (John Coltrane album), ''Live in Paris'' (John Coltrane album) *Live in Paris (Jemeel Moondoc al ...

'' (issued with a different European title, ''A Night In Paris''). The album included covers of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

's "Just the Way You Are" (a hit on U.S.

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the ...

radio) and

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

's "A Case Of You", and was also released as a video album. The 2001 movie " The Score" (US and Germany), starring Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, featured a recording of Krall's entitled: "I'll Make It Up As I Go." This song accompanies the film's ending credits (chapter 12) and was composed by fellow Canadian,

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

. After marrying English singer-songwriter

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

in 2003, Krall worked with him as a lyricist and began to compose her own songs, resulting in the album ''

The Girl in the Other Room ''The Girl in the Other Room'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on March 31, 2004, by Verve Records. In addition to cover versions, it is Krall's first album to include original material, which she co-wrote with ...

''. Released in April 2004, it quickly rose to the top five in the United Kingdom and made the Australian top 40 album charts. She also joined

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

on his '' Genius Loves Company'' album in 2004 for the song " You Don't Know Me", and her 2004 performance at

Bell Centre Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...

, Montreal on June 29 was released as her second live CD and DVD, '' Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival'', released on November 23, 2004. In late May 2007, Krall was featured in a

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

ad campaign. That year she also sang " Dream a Little Dream of Me" with piano accompaniment by pianist

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

for an "all-star" tribute album '' We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song'' (2007) produced by

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business ...

'' Quiet Nights'', produced by Krall and Tommy LiPuma, was released on March 31, 2009, and consisted of mainly

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovat ...

standards. Krall produced

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

's album '' Love Is the Answer'', released on September 29, 2009. In 2011, Krall went on a private retreat to Sri Lanka. In September 2012, she accompanied

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios are recording studios located at the landmark Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capitol Records. While ...

in a live performance of his album ''

Kisses on the Bottom ''Kisses on the Bottom'' is the fifteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, consisting primarily of covers of traditional pop music and jazz. Released in February 2012 on Starbucks' Hear Music label, it was McCartney's first studio album si ...

'', which was shown live on the internet. On September 13, 2012, Krall performed " Fly Me to the Moon" at astronaut

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

's memorial service in Washington, D.C. Her 11th studio album, ''

Glad Rag Doll "Glad Rag Doll" is a 1928 song composed by Milton Ager and Dan Dougherty with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was Ager and Yellen's first movie theme song, written for the motion picture of the same name (released in 1929) starring Dolores Costello. ...

'', produced by

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...

, was released on October 2, 2012, and covered mainly jazz tunes from the 1920s and 1930s. Her next, ''

Wallflower ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...

'', released on February 3, 2015, by

and produced by David Foster, tackled more recent composers including the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

(two songs),

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...

(" Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"),

10cc 10cc are an English rock music, rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The grou ...

(" I'm Not in Love"), Neil Finn (" Don't Dream It's Over"), and Gilbert O'Sullivan ("

Alone Again (Naturally) "Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. It was recorded in 1972 at the same time as his album '' Back to Front'' and was a worldwide hit. The single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on ''B ...

"). The album's title song is from

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "Bootleg Series", and

gave her his blessing to include '' I'll Take You Home Tonight'', a previously unreleased original song he'd written for his own jazz-flavoured ''

'' album. On May 5, 2017, Krall released her thirteenth album, ''

Turn Up the Quiet ''Turn Up the Quiet'' is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on May 5, 2017, by Verve Records. Background The album consists of 11 jazz standards. The Japanese edition of the album includes "How Deep Is the Ocean ...

'', produced by Krall and Tommy LiPuma again. The album won a Juno Award as vocal jazz album of the year in 2018. On September 14, 2018, a joint album between Krall and

, '' Love Is Here to Stay'', was released. The album features the song " Fascinating Rhythm", originally recorded by Bennett in 1949, which earned him a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the "longest time between the release of an original recording and a re-recording of the same single by the same artist" — 68 years and 342 days. September 2020 brought the release of her sixteenth studio album, ''

This Dream of You ''This Dream of You'' is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on September 25, 2020, by Verve Records. The album spawned two singles released in August 2020. Background The album is named after Krall's rendition of ...

'', named after Krall's rendition of the

song from his 2009 album ''

Together Through Life ''Together Through Life'' is the 33rd studio album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 28, 2009, by Columbia Records. The release of the album, which reached number 1 in multiple countries, was unexpected and surprised fans. Dyla ...

''. The album's dozen tracks were selected from over 30 unused recordings previously laid down by Krall with her longtime producer Tommy LiPuma before his death in 2017. The album was completed in May 2020 with production finished by Krall herself, and included the jazz standard " Autumn in New York" for which a video was created to raise awareness for New York Cares, the largest volunteer organization in New York City founded in 1987.

Personal life

Krall and British musician

were married on December 6, 2003, at

's estate outside London. Their twin sons, Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James, were born December 6, 2006, in New York City. Krall's mother died of

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, ...

in 2002, within months of the deaths of Krall's mentors Ray Brown and

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

Honours

Canadian honours

National honours

Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

– 2005

Provincial and territorial honours

Member of the Order of British Columbia – 2000

Honorary doctorates

* Honorary Ph.D. (Fine Arts) from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

Other awards and recognitions

* Induction into Canada's Walk of Fame – 2004 * Nanaimo Harbourfront Plaza was renamed Diana Krall Plaza – 2008 * Honorary Board Member of the

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is a charitable organization dedicated to multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. The MMRF runs as if it were a for-profit business, expecting high returns from the money the organization raise ...

* Steinway & Sons Artist, performing exclusively with Steinway pianos in recording sessions, concerts, and public appearances

Discography

* '' Stepping Out'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * '' All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio'' (1996) * '' Love Scenes'' (1997) * '' When I Look in Your Eyes'' (1999) * '' The Look of Love'' (2001) * ''

'' (2002) (aka. ''A Night in Paris'') * ''

'' (2004) * '' Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival'' (2004) * '' Christmas Songs'' (2005) * '' From This Moment On'' (2006) * '' Quiet Nights'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

'' (2017) * '' Love Is Here to Stay'' with

(2018) * ''

'' (2020)

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

* – official site * * * Diana Krallat Billboard.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krall, Diana 1964 births Living people 20th-century Canadian pianists 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian women singers Ballad musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Canadian contraltos Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Canadian women jazz singers Canadian jazz pianists Canadian jazz singers Canadian women pianists Crossover jazz singers Elvis Costello Grammy Award winners Impulse! Records artists Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners Juno Award for Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year winners Justin Time Records artists Mainstream jazz pianists Members of the Order of British Columbia Musicians from British Columbia Officers of the Order of Canada People from Nanaimo Rhythm and blues pianists Smooth jazz singers The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni Torch singers Traditional pop music singers Verve Records artists Women jazz pianists 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists