Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1984.
Was honored as a "master of jazz" by the National Endowment for the Arts. [January 1994]
Was influenced by singers Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Studied piano as a child.<TR> <TR>Early in her career, worked briefly with Count Basie.
Worked as a soloist from the mid-1950s, and became one of the most accomplished scat singers and ballad interpreters in jazz.