Patti Austin -

Patti Austin is an American soul and jazz singer who released nine albums between 1976 and 1990 and scored major singles with “Every Home Should Have One,” “The Heat of Heat,” and the James Ingram duets “Baby, Come to Me” and “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” Her 2007 disc Avant Gershwin won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Background

Patti Austin was born Aug. 10, 1950, in Harlem, New York City. Her father, Gordon Austin, worked as a professional jazz trombonist, and the family raised Austin in Bay Shore on Long Island. Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones became Austin’s show-business godparents through the musical circle around Gordon Austin.

Austin made her stage debut at age four when Washington invited her to sing “Teach Me Tonight” at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. RCA signed Austin at age five and prepared a record, but child-performance restrictions prevented release before the deal expired. She subsequently appeared on the New York television program Star Time and Ray Bolger’s NBC series Washington Square. At age nine, Austin joined the European company of the Harold Arlen–Johnny Mercer musical Free and Easy, with Jones directing the orchestra. Her subsequent stage work included Lost in the Stars and Finian’s Rainbow, followed by an appearance on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show.

Austin began an issued run of teenage recordings in May 1965 with “He’s Good Enough for Me” (b/w “Earl”) on Coral. She followed with further Coral singles through spring 1967, including “I Wanna Be Loved,” “Take Your Time,” and “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes.” Austin also toured with Harry Belafonte at age sixteen and entered New York session work with a background appearance on James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”

Austin moved to United Artists for “The Family Tree” (b/w “Magical Boy”) in April 1969, which reached No. 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. She subsequently recorded “Black California” for Columbia and a version of “Day by Day” from Godspell. Valerie Simpson connected Austin with advertising work, and Austin established a parallel career in New York recording studios through commercial jingles and background sessions.

Austin sang on sessions for Cat Stevens, Roberta Flack, Paul Simon, and other New York recording artists through the first half of the 1970s. Her work with arranger Bill Eaton brought her into the circle around percussionist Ralph MacDonald and CTI founder Creed Taylor. Austin signed with CTI and entered Mediasound in New York and Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey in spring 1976 for the sessions that produced End of a Rainbow.

Discography: