Toni Lynn Washington (born Dorothy Helen Leak, December 6, 1937,

Southern Pines Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census. History Southern Pines was founded as a winter health resort for Northeastern U ...

, North Carolina) is an American blues singer.(February 7, 2005)
Toni Lynn Washington, in Full Swing
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''(June 29, 1998)
The blues raises spirits at annual Quincy festival
''Boston Globe'' ("Toni Lynn Washington is known as the First Lady of the Boston blues scene and was nominated as Best Female Artist of the Year for the 1998 WC Handy Awards.")

Musical career

She took to music at an early age, singing with her school and church choirs. She has had seven

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

nominations. Washington received the 1999

Boston Blues Festival Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2003 she released her fourth CD since 1997, and her first on the NorthernBlues label.

Albums

*''Blues at Midnight'' (1995, Tone-Cool Records, a

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

subsidiary) *''It's My Turn Now'' (1997, Tone-Cool Records)(August 23, 1997)
Jazz and Blue Notes
''

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 advertise ...

'' *''Good Things'' (2000, Tone-Cool Records) *''Been So Long'' (2003, NorthernBlues Music)

Main band members

*Keyboards
Bruce Bears
*Guitar: Duke Robillard, Kevin Belz, an
Mike Null
*Saxophone: Chuck Langford, Gordon Beadle, and Doug James *Trumpet: Scott Aruda *Drums: Dave Jamrog and Mark Texeira *Bass: Jesse Williams, Sven Larson and Steve Cuoco *Record producer: Duke Robillard and Bruce Bears

Blues Music Award nominations

*2003, 2004 and 2005 "Soul-Blues Female Performer of the Year" *Her previous albums for "Album of the Year"

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Toni Lynn 1937 births Living people American blues singers American women singers People from Southern Pines, North Carolina 21st-century American women