User:Jean holden/sandbox

Jean Holden-Hanna (born Norris Jean Ashley – February 2, 1940) is an American jazz-contemporary singer and vocal coach, described by many in the States of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana as "Toledo’s First Lady of Song."

Early life
Norris Jean Ashley was born in Masonville, Arkansas to Margeret White, a cotton picker in Masonville and Minor Ashley, a farmer also in Masonville. At the age of four, Norris Jean was left in the keeping of her grandmother (Margeret's mother), Lula Rounds in McGehee, Arkansas, while Margeret went California for employment. In 1945, Lula Rounds took Norris Jean to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she attended kindergarten and 1st grade at a local Catholic school. In 1947, Lula took Ashley back to McGehee where she lived with Hazel Washington (Margeret's sister and Lula's daughter) and Hazel's husband Alex Washington. In 1948, Margeret returned to McGehee to get her daughter, whom she hadn't seen since four years prior. Jean did not recognize her mother when she first saw her, which made Margeret very sad and she began to cry. At that point, Margeret swore she would never leave her daughter behind again.

In her years, Norris Jean realized she loved to sing. She was listening to other singers such as, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Patty Page, Marian Anderson, Patsy Cline, and Mahalia Jackson. Ashley not only loved jazz music, but also opera and country music.

Ashley moved to Shreveport when she was 9 years old with her mother and her mother's husband, Clarence Romby. In 1953 at age 13, while in the 7th grade, Norris Jean began singing classical music, as an Operatic Mezzo-soprano, through intense training from Henry Morgan and Grace Burke, at Central Junior High in Shreveport. Everything from vocalizing to singing Negro spirituals, to Broadway show tunes to Italian arias, Mr. Morgan and Ms. Burke, worked with Norris Jean to prepare her for City-wide, State-wide and regional competitions, where she began placing 1st and 2nd the all competitions. While in high school, and still under the direction of Mr. Morgan and Ms. Burke, Ashley began performing in musicals such as, Carmen, Pace, pace, mio Dio and Ave Maria to name a few.

By 1957, Norris Jean was receiving offers from Julliard School of Music, Oberlin College and Dillard University for full scholarships. It was at that time that she met Howard Lee Holden, in Toledo, Ohio, while spending the summer there with her cousin (and Margeret's niece), Marion Bolden. At the end of the summer in 1957, Norris Jean informed her mother that she did not want to finish high school in Shreveport, and she wanted to stay in Toledo with Howard. This also meant turning down the scholarships she was offered from the aforementioned universities. In turn, Margeret decided she wanted to be with her daughter, so she too moved to Toledo, where she began working at Crown Cleaners, a family-owned business of her niece Marion.

When Norris Jean moved to Toledo, her main desire was to become a wife and a mother, so on November 27, 1957, she married Howard Holden. On February 7, 1959, the couple had their first child (son), Gerald "Jerry" Richard Holden; then on January 24, 1962, the Holden's welcomed their second child (daughter), Lisa Marie Holden.

Beginning professional career
With singing still in her blood, and realizing there wasn't much of a market for opera singers, particularly African-American opera singers, in 1964 (now Norris Jean Holden), Holden changed her style and range to accommodate nightclub singing. Her remarkable talent was sufficient to earn her first nightclub performance at the Park Lane Hotel, where she was hired for a 2-week trial run. Ultimately she performed there for two consecutive years. That began her nightclub entertainment career. Also now using Jean Holden for her stage name and dropping Norris.

Lake Erie Awards
To date, Jean Holden has 2 Lake Erie Awards.

Discography

 * Kiss Me With Your Eyes (single) (2008)
 * Shea (album) (2008)