Nora Jean Wallace

Bio:

NORA JEAN

"Nora Jean sounds just like I did when I was her age. She is one of the new up coming women that's singing the real blues. I know she is going to make it." -Koko Taylor

Nora Jean is a Chicago Blues singer with deep Delta roots. Like so many blues greats that hail from the Delta of Mississippi, Nora Jean was born and raised in Greenwood, a town in the heart of this blues-rich region. From birth her father, Bobby Lee Wallace, a professional blues singer and sharecropper, and her Uncle, Henry "Son" Wallace, a blues singer and guitar player, infused the blues in her soul. Also contributing to her musical education was her mother, Ida Lee Wallace, a gospel singer, and her grandmother, Mary, who ran a juke house. As a child Nora would sneak down to her grandmother's place on Friday and Saturday nights and listen to her relatives sing blues classics. It was during these years that Nora developed a love for the music of Howlin' Wolf that has continued to the present day.

Nora's singing career in Chicago began in 1976 when her Aunt Rose heard Nora sing at home and brought her to several clubs she was promoting. It was at the Majestic on the West Side of Chicago that Nora sat in with Scottie and the Oasis. She was invited to join the band and spent several years with them before Scottie's unfortunate passing. During this time many local Chicago musicians, most notably Mary Lane and Joe Barr, encouraged Nora and taught her the fine points of her craft.

Nora's big break came in 1985 when Jimmy Dawkins saw Nora perform at a local Chicago club and invited her to join his band. For the next seven years Nora toured and recorded with Jimmy and his band. During this time Nora appeared on two of Jimmy's CDs, "Feel the Blues," (JSP, 1985 & 2002 with a bonus NJB track) and "Can't Shake These Blues," (Earwig, 1991). She also released a single, "Untrue Lover," (Leric, 1982) and her first solo release in 2002 titled, „Sings the Blues‰ (Red Hurricane).

While touring Europe, Canada, and the United States, Nora refined her performing skills and developed an international fan base. She appeared on many major festivals including the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, the Chicago Blues Festival and the Pocono Blues Festival.

Nora knows that now is her time. It is true that art imitates life. She has lived a life full of passion and pain, triumph and despair, and with it has come a wisdom out of which is born art. Living involves pain but offers redemption as well. That is what the blues is all about.

Discography:

Going Back to Mississippi, Severn CD 0030

Nora Jean Bruso Sings The Blues, Red Hurricane Records

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