Nancy King

Nancy Ellen King ( Whalley; June 15, 1940 – August 5, 2025) was an American jazz singer from Portland, Oregon. Known for her masterful scatting and elastic range, King performed on worldwide tours and recordings, as well as collaborations with such artists as Jon Hendricks, Vince Guaraldi, Glen Moore, Ralph Towner, Dave Friesen, and others.

Background King was born Nancy Ellen Whalley on June 15, 1940, on her family's farm in rural Lane County, Oregon, about outside of Springfield. When she was eight, she and her family moved to nearby Eugene, Oregon. Early in her career, began a relationship with saxophonist Sonny King and took his surname, though they never legally married. The 2017 album Porter Plays Porter, featuring her alongside the Randy Porter Trio performing Cole Porter music, was also nominated for the Grammy.

Discography First Date, with Steve Wolfe (Inner City, 1978) Impending Bloom, with Glen Moore (Justice, 1991) Potato Radio, with Glen Moore (Justice, 1992) Cliff Dance, with Glen Moore (Justice, 1993) Straight into Your Heart, with Steve Christofferson and the Metropole Orchestra (Mons, 1996) King on the Road (Cardas, 1999) Moonray (Philology, 1999) Dream Lands Vol. 1, with Steve Christofferson (Stellar!, 2000) Dream Lands Vol. 2, with Steve Christofferson (Stellar!, 2002) Live at the Jazz Standard, with Fred Hersch (Maxjazz, 2006) Perennial (Ornry Diva, 2011)

Guest appearances With Karrin Allyson Footprints (Concord Jazz, 2006)

With Ray Brown Christmas Songs with the Ray Brown Trio (Telarc, 1999) Some of My Best Friends Are Singers (Telarc, 1998)

With Roy Nathanson Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill (Six Degrees, 2000)

With Oregon 45th Parallel (Portrait, 1989)