Michelle Willis (born November 6, 1986) is a British-born, Canadian-raised singer/songwriter and keyboard player. She performs regularly as a solo artist and as a side musician with David Crosby and

Becca Stevens Becca Stevens (born June 14, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws upon elements of jazz, chamber pop, indie rock, and folk. Early life and education Stevens was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the youngest ...

. She has also worked with

Iggy & The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dav ...

Laura Mvula Laura Mvula ( Douglas; born 23 April 1986) is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In ...

, Snarky Puppy,

The Parachute Club The Parachute Club was a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections ex ...

, and the

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulel ...

Career

After graduating from

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

's Jazz program, Willis became a regular performer in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

's piano bars. In 2009, Three Metre Day, a modern roots band was formed with Willis on pump organ and vocals, Hugh Marsh on violin, and Don Rooke on slide guitar. In 2012, the band recorded the album ''Coasting Notes'' and scored the film Still Mine for which Willis, Rooke, and Marsh were nominated for a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

. Marsh and Willis also recorded on Iggy & The Stooges final album, 2013's '' Ready to Die''. After building her résumé through a variety of collaborations and work as a session keyboardist and background singer, Willis signed a recording contract with

groundUPmusic GroundUP Music is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, world music, folk, rock, and gospel. The label was founded in 2012 by Michael League as a home for his band Snarky Puppy. The roster of acts on ...

. Her debut solo album, ''See Us Through'' was released in Spring 2016. In a very positive review of the album, Cashbox Magazine Canada's Lee Fraser commented, "The fact that it’s her debut is pretty surprising, given the fact that Michelle has toured Europe, Canada and the US, and that every show she plays in her hometown of Toronto is filled to capacity with her adoring fans." Willis was featured along with Laura Mvula on Snarky Puppy's ''

Family Dinner – Volume 2 ''Family Dinner – Volume 2'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on February 12, 2016. Track listing All songs arranged by Michael League. Bonus DVD and digital download tracks Personnel * Michael Leag ...

''. Among others also featured on that album were David Crosby and Becca Stevens. Producer Michael League then used himself, Willis, and Stevens to back Crosby on the Crosby-Stevens song "By the Light of Common Day" on Crosby's 2016 album ''

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

''. The quartet reunited as a real performing band on Crosby's 2018 ''Here If You Listen'' album, then toured for six weeks in late 2018. When speaking about "Janet", a song Willis wrote for that album, Crosby praised her as a singer:

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Michelle Living people 1986 births GroundUPmusic artists Canadian keyboardists Canadian women songwriters 21st-century Canadian women singers Musicians from Toronto Women keyboardists Humber College alumni