ETTA CAMERON –  A  LIFE-AFFIRMING  JAZZ EXPERIENCE!

 Etta Cameron was born on 21 November 1939 on Crooked Island, Bahamas in the British West Indies. and died on 4. marts 2010. She left the Islands with her parents for the United States at the age of nine.

Her singing career started in the Methodist Church Choir, and she made her first radio appearance at the age of ten. She began singing jazz and blues in her early twenties, and eventually decided to make her home in Copenhagen, where she has captivated an exceptional and unique position as a jazz-, swing-, blues- and gospel singer.

Etta Cameron has - amongst other well-known musicians and big bands - performed with such artists as:

Thad Jones, Ernie Wilkins, Horace Parlan, Ben Webster, Kenny Drew, Britt Woodman, Noris Turney, Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy Woode, Buch Ballard, Art Farmer, Fatty George, Ray Anthony, Georgie Fame, Frank Foster, Dusko Goykovich, Richard Boone, Erik Moseholm, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Ole Koch Hansen, Poul Godske, Bent Jæding, Jens Søndergaard, Peter Herbolzheimer, Klavs Hovman and Nikolaj Hess as well as many other well known Danish and European musicians and big bands.

She has performed on TV and radio, in jazz clubs, in churches and at festivals, and she has been touring Europe and the United States.

For the past 30 years Etta Cameron has deeply moved thousands of Danes with her strong and powerful gospel concerts.  She fills up the Danish churches to a bursting point, and no one else performs with such a profound intensity, keeping the attention of the audience throughout the whole concert, moving from a low-voiced earnestly to an ecstatically spiritual emotion.

Etta Cameron has been presented with many coveted musical awards, f.ex. the ”Gouden Leeuw" from  Radio Luxembourg in 1974, "Placa de Plate", Mallorca in 1977 and Radio Mimara in 1978.  She has also been presented with several Silver, Gold and Platinum Record awards.

She composes, makes arrangements and writes lyrics.  She has appeared in musicals, the last one being "South Pacific", and has performed in several films, f.ex. "Peter Von Scholten", where she played the leading lady role.  But first of all, she has become very popular when touring with her gospel concerts in may countries.

In September 1996 Etta Cameron was promoted to Associated Professor for the Rhythmical Academy of Music (Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium) in Copenhagen.

In January 1997 H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark knighted Etta Cameron, and she was presented with the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (Ridderkorset) in appreciation of her tremendous musical efforts.

In 2005 she was officially appointed as an Ambassador for the Hans Christian Andersen ABC Foundation (HCA-ABC Fonden).

Etta Cameron is also a Protector for several organisations, f.ex. D.B.O. (an organisation for breast cancer patients) and in 2006 she was presented with the "Award of Honour".

In August 2007 she wrote her first book, "Hun gav smerten vinger" ("She gave wings to the pain"), a biography about her life - and when it was published, it very soon became No. 1 on the "Top Ten List" of best sold books.