Heather Rigdon

Biography

Heather Rigdon is a traditional and contemporary jazz singer who by all accounts was a late bloomer. Born May 17, 1974, in Florissant, MO, she was one of four girls. Rigdon's parents worked as touring religious singers, her father being an ordained Pentecostal preacher. Raised in Texas, she traveled with her family listening to their vocal renditions of hymns, gospel music, and sacred songs. As a youngster, Rigdon did enjoy a limited selection of recordings and black-and-white films of musical stage shows, but was generally not permitted to experience secular music. She discovered an eight-track tape of Ray Charles owned by her dad, was then exposed to heavy metal groups Def Leppard and Whitesnake in the sixth grade, and heard Journey two years later. A family trip to London when she was 13 was pivotal, as she first heard the sound of street musicians and saxophonists. Moving to Nashville after public-school studies, Rigdon connected with producer Cliff Goldmacher, who produced her debut CD, Young & Naïve, in 2007. It was a project featuring surprisingly sophisticated jazz originals, with many of the selections composed by Goldmacher. Her even-keeled singing owes allegiance to Peggy Lee and Chris Connor, while she is favorably compared to peers like Melody Gardot and Roberta Gambarini. Rigdon has performed frequently at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, and her song "Table for Two" is featured in the movie Trust the Man. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide