|
DIVA
JOAN CARTWRIGHT
.jpg)
|
Ms. McNeil has
performed in 25 countries worldwide, entertaining in a number of 5-star
hotels: The Westin, Radisson, Sheraton, The Four Seasons, The Hyatt, The
Crowne Plaza, The Double Tree and The Ritz Carlton.
She sang for the King and Queen of
Bangkok
(by special request) at the Oriental Hotel in
Thailand
and was featured act as part of the Manny Kellough All Star Celebrity Jazz
group on the Silhouette Celebrity Cruise Liner. As a contract songwriter
for Motown Records in her native Detroit, Michigan, several world renowned
artists have recorded her music including Nancy Wilson, Diana Ross &
the Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, David Ruffin, L.L. Cool J,
Edwin Star, The Four Tops, Rita Marley, Kiki Dee, Jonah Jones, Side
Effect, Rapper ‘Styles’ and the historic Rap group, The Watts
Prophets, of which Ms. McNeil was a member.
She was one of the first women to Rap in the late ‘60s and early
70’s speaking up for women’s rights. One of her raps about respect for
women was used as the televised theme song during
New Zealand
’s Miss Universe Contest in 1983. However, her passion and artistry has
always been closely linked to Jazz.
Currently residing in
Los Angeles
,
California
, McNeil stays busy performing in local Jazz venues while also vocal
coaching part time. From 2008 -
2009 she was Director of Artist Development at (CCM) California College of
Music in
Pasadena
. She vocal coached at both PIMA (
Pasadena
International
Music
Academy
) and CCM for six years and currently teaches part time at
Music
Performance
Academy
in
Alhambra
,
CA
. For (13) years she hosted a program entitled “Jazz ‘N You”
that taught preschoolers and their families the three elements of jazz in
libraries all across
Los Angeles
County
. She wrote and produced two
musical stage plays in
Detroit
and also produces well-attended concerts in the
Southern California
area. Her plays are based on
historic figures and their music contributions. In 2001, she won the BET
(Black Entertainment Television Network) “Jazz Discovery Competition”
and appeared in concert on BET’s internationally syndicated television
program.
Her articles and Cd
reviews have appeared in Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz Newspaper, and
she has a blog on www.lajazz.com.
Currently, her music columns run in several on-line www.Patch.com
newspapers that are owned and operated by aol.com. In 2009 her book “Haiku
In My Neighborhood” was published, featuring the photography of
Roland Charles. Based on this book she taught a very successful poetry
program for youth from 5 – 12 years old in
Inglewood
,
CA
City Schools. As a published poet, her poems have appeared in a
number of anthologies. She sometimes incorporates poetry into her musical
performances, as she did in 2010 during a performance at the
University
of
Sarjah
in the
United Arab Emirates
.
Her cds include Rappin’
Black in a White World as part of the Watts Prophets Group – Ala
Records; Where Can Our Leaders Be? Distributed
by
USA
Records; “Live at Spaghettini”; and “Live
at the Discovery Theater with the Bill Dowdy Jazz Trio”. Most
recently “Dee Dee McNeil Live in
Bangkok
” with the Bamboo Bar Quartet was released.
In March, 2011 she
was honored by the City of
Los Angeles
for her contributions to music, to jazz and to youth.
|
