Ruth Price

A talented singer whose wide expressive qualities do justice to any lyrics that she chooses to interpret, Ruth Price has made relatively few recordings throughout her career. Originally a dancer, she attended ballet school in 1952. However, by 1954 she was singing with Charlie Ventura and, after freelancing in Philadelphia, she worked as a singer and dancer in New York. Price moved to Hollywood in 1957, recorded a fine album with Shelly Manne (which has been reissued in the Original Jazz Classics series), but did not cut her second album as a leader until 1983 (for ITI). She toured with Harry James (1964-1965), but in the '90s became best known for running one of Los Angeles' top jazz clubs, the Jazz Bakery.