Joyce Cobb

Joyce Renee Cobb (born June 2, 1945) is an American singer specializing in jazz and R&B. She is closely associated with traditional blues and jazz in the style of Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. She has had a wide-ranging career as a solo artist and vocalist, having charted several country, pop, and R&B singles in the 1970s and early 1980s, later recording as a jazz vocalist.

Biography

Early years (1945-71) Joyce Cobb was born on June 2, 1945, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and first sang in her grandmother's church. In 1955 her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when her father was hired at Tennessee State University as the head of the Health and physical education department. Her parents owned a large record collection of music that was influential on her at a young age. Her first vocal training during that time was at Cathedral of the Incarnation, during grade and high school. This mainly consisted of singing requiems and pontifical high masses. She sang in the girls' glee club and choir during that time; also; Cobb had 14 years of private piano training. From 1963 to 1967 she attended Central State University and acquired an undergraduate degree in Social Welfare. Between 1969 and 1971 Cobb was on Ramada Inn's Midwest circuit for entertainment, performing in duo under the title Joyce and William [Temme] Duo both singing and playing guitars. During that time she had cut her first single for the Truth Records label and was first nationally recognized in the May 1975 edition of Billboard with her single "He Just Loved You Out Of Me" in the "Best potential hit" list. This first country music single was to launch her career, it was the last time she would record in that genre. as the label went out of business shortly after she moved to Memphis. She stayed in the city due to the difference and diversity in musical styles she was now exposed to as compared to her initial professional work in Nashville, "...everything was Black---Black music, Black bands. I said, 'Oh, I want to stay here.'" It was distributed in North America under for the Cream label and sold in Europe under the Polydor label. The single showed her versatility as both a performer and writer; a reggae style song that was put to a funk/disco beat. Dig The Gold charted to #42 for Billboard and #10 for Cashbox giving her a first real success as an internationally recognized pop artist.

With her reputation growing as a contemporary pop singer and writer who could handle a variety of styles, she was contracted by Atlantic Records to record with the Toronto-based disco group T.H.P. Orchestra. She recorded as the lead, solo vocalist on T.H.P.'s last studio album: Good To Me. The LP would end up charting at #16 in the dance category for Billboard. She was honored as being #4 in the December edition (for 1980) Billboard End of the Year Awards list for New Female Single Pop Artist in the company of singers Irene Cara (#1), Charlie Dore (#2), and Bernadette Peters (#3). She was the opening act for Al Jarreau and The Temptations during this time. The club had a measure of success when starting out featuring musical acts such as George Coleman, Jimmy McGriff, Herb Ellis, Marvin Stamm, James Williams, and Maria Muldaur. Unfortunately the venue only lasted four years due to the financial viability being less than expected, ending up getting bought out by another club owner. It was then in 1996 she was honored with the installment of her brass note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame. She also toured the United States and Europe with the highly acclaimed Beale Street Jazz Band, recording two CDs with the group during this time.

In the late 1990s she forwarded the concept of Sounds of Memphis to help write the script for the show Beale Street Saturday Night which it has had success as a live show in the mid-part of the country. This was her first in-road to what has been an acting career later in her professional life. In 2006 she recorded on the soundtrack of Black Diamonds: The Story of Negro League Baseball as part of the internationally recognized exhibit presented at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum.

Cobb was contacted by Ward Archer in 2009 to record a CD for his recently formed Memphis record label, Archer Records. It was her first solo recording as a jazz artist and again showed her versility and artistry as a recording artist. In 2010 she toured Europe with the Michael Jefry Stevens Trio promoting the CD release for Archer Records. Presently she continues to perform every Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee at Bosco's as well as playing many other engagements internationally. She has also seen the re-issue on CD (digital re-master) of her earlier successes with How Glad I Am on a compilation in 2012 and T.H.P.'s album in 2013.

Musical style and music educator Cobb's musical style is derived from but does not mimic blues and jazz singers such as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan (among others). She is a fluent and adept scat singer and improvisor who has a wide range of timbre and emotion in her presentation of songs. Her musical background has been diverse having sung country, disco, R&B, soul and jazz. This diversity has created a unique sound that does not really directly mimick any other singer; she has her own signature style. "Joyce Cobb's big, vivacious voice can interpret everything from pop to country to classical to her truest love, jazz."

She is a very pro-active advocate of music education and the history of singing style in American pop and jazz music. Cobb has served for close 20 years as adjunct vocal professor at the University of Memphis School of Music. She has worked with younger jazz vocalists and musicians at the Stax Music Academy helping aspiring younger artists. 1998

1999

CA

CA

CA 2008

2010

CA 2012

2013 Disco Recharge:Tender Is the Night/Good to Me(Re-issue,T.H.P. Orchestra)