Jazz Singer Sheila Jordan Dies At The Age Of 96
Her 1963 debut, ‘Portrait of Sheila,’ remains a staple of the genre
Sheila Jordan, a celebrated jazz vocalist and staple of the Blue Note roster, has died at the age of 96. The news was shared by Sheila’s daughter Tracey on August 11.
She wrote on Instagram: “Dear Jazz Family & Friends, My dearest mum Sheila Jordan passed away peacefully this afternoon, Monday, August 11 at 3:50 pm. Her friend Joan Belgrave was playing her a bebop tune called ‘Bill for Bennie,’ by her late husband Marcus Belgrave…my mom fell asleep listening to the music she loved and helped define.”
“Thank you for your support and generosity, the money raised on her GoFundMe page will be used to pay off medical debt and secure a plot for her at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Jazz Corner…a memorial service will be planned in the future at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City.”
Jordan was born in Detroit on November 18, 1928 but was raised by her grandparents in Pennsylvania due to her father abandoning her and her mother struggling with alcoholism. Life wasn’t any easier in the Allegheny Mountains, and she was eventually taken back to Detroit by her mother, who still struggled with drinking and abusive partners. She found solace in jazz, even recalling her very first introduction to the music that would shape her life.
“I always sang but I didn’t know what kind of music I wanted to sing,” she told Ellen Johnson, who wrote Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan in 2014. “Until that unforgettable day I went to the hamburger joint across the street from my high school.” She cued up ‘Now’s the Time’ by Charlie Parker and His Reboppers on the jukebox, and it changed her life. “After the first four notes I was hooked,” she said. “I got goose bumps, and I instantly knew that was the music I had been waiting to hear and would dedicate my life to singing.”
Jordan was a quick study, learning Parker’s notoriously dizzying solos and performing them with her voice. She was even afforded the opportunity to showcase her prowess for Bird, who was a frequent performer in Detroit. “I sang one of Bird’s songs, and he said to me, ‘You have million-dollar ears, kid,’” she said. “I didn’t even know what that meant.”
Sheila eventually made her way to New York in 1951, marrying Duke Jordan two years later. Jordan was the pianist in Parker’s original quartet, and their relationship was quickly dominated by his reliance on heroin. He was regularly unavailable to help raise the daughter they shared, and they divorced in 1962. It was that same year, though, that George Russell, a jazz theorist, recruited Jordan into the studio to provide some vocals for his 1962 album, The Outer View. It was her first time in a studio, and that same year she recorded her 1963 debut, Portrait of Sheila, still widely regarded as one of the most important records in vocal jazz.
Though Portrait of Sheila was a rousing success, it wasn’t until her daughter left for college that she went back in the studio to record its follow-up, Confirmation. After getting her sophomore effort under her belt, she was a prolific recording artist, sharing almost 30 albums as a bandleader or member. Portrait Now, her last release, arrived in 2025.
Among a number of tremendous accolades, Sheila Jordan was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2012 at the age of 84. Up until her final years, she was a consistent performer and inspiration within the jazz community. “The people that respect what I do and hire me, that’s all I need,” she told NPR in 2014. “I just need to keep doing this music as long as I live.” She did just that.
