Fionna Duncan Biography & Awards

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Artist Info

Biography

A native and resident of Scotland, vintage jazz vocalist Fionna Duncan came up in the ranks in 1950 at the Rutherglen Academy, singing Gilbert & Sullivan operas and working in an amateur drama group. After achieving high honors at the academy, she turned her attention to singing jazz standards, and by 1955 was working with Lindsay MacDonald in Glasgow nightclubs. On a business trip to the U.S. in 1956, she was approached to record for Riverside Records, a contract she turned down. In 1957 she was on the BBC's network program with Joe Gordon and was a member of the Clyde Valley Stompers. The mid-'60s to early '70s saw her working extensively in London, England, specifically with the Georgia Dixielanders, but she returned to Glasgow, where she stayed, working regularly with bassist Ronnie Rae and his trio. Infrequent subsequent visits to the States saw her performing in California, and also in Michigan, where she has family. In the mid-'90s she ran jazz workshops in Glasgow, one of her collaborators being vocalist Madeline Eastman. A staunch supporter of more traditional jazz styles and an interpreter of standards, her voice has been described as part silk and sandpaper. She is a hidden treasure with a good-humored, delightful persona. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide