Corky Hale (Pianist, Harpist and Vocalist) was born in a small mid-western farm town and started taking piano lessons at age three.  At age seven, while vacationing with her family in Florida, Hale was heard in the lobby of her hotel picking out tunes on the piano by House bandleader, Horace Heidt.  Heidt had a little band jacket made for her and featured her for the next few weeks in the evening show.  She began studying piano at Chicago Conservatory at the age of seven, and harp at the age of eight. She has performed at The White House with Tony Bennett, soloed with Barbra Streisand in Central Park and at the Hollywood Bowl, and performed with Björk on her MTV Special in London.  Hale has also appeared with George Michael at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Washington, D.C.’s RFK Stadium.  She has played harp for Liberace (on his television show and at Madison Square Garden) and Judy Collins, piano for Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé and Peggy Lee, and sung with the bands of Harry James, Ray Anthony and Jerry Gray. Hale’s harp, piano and vocals can be heard on her three albums “CORKY!;” “Have Yourself A Jazzy Little Christmas;”and her current CD “Corky Hale and Friends...I’m Glad There Is You.”  Corky Hale’s CDs are available at www.cdbaby.com and www.amazon.com. Her sold-out performances at the Oak Room at the Algonquin in New York, Davenport’s in Chicago, the Cinegrill and Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. in Los Angeles, the Plush Room in San Francisco, and Pizza On The Park in London have led Los Angeles Times’ jazz reviewer Don Heckman to observe that Hale is “more than a triple threat,” and the San Francisco Examiner’s Philip Ellwood noted her performances are “of cyclonic proportions.”  She has also been seen and heard on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” Hale produced “Give ‘em Hell Harry,” starring Jason Alexander at the Tiffany Theatre in Los Angeles in 1992.  Since 2000 Hale has frequently produced and performed her star-studded show “Corky Hale and Friends:  From Tin Pan Alley to Beverly Hills,” at the Beverly Hills Civic Center.  In March 2003 her “Salute To Hollywood Songwriters” opened the newly restored Ferry Building at a Gala for San Francisco’s “Raising Hope” charity, and in 2002 this show opened the 25th Anniversary Season of the 1,000-seat La Mirada Theatre.  In that same year Hale’s musical “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” broke Box Office records at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Florida.  She also produced 1998’s “Lullaby Of Broadway” at the Tiffany Theatre in West Hollywood, voted one of the “10 Best Shows” of the year by the Los Angeles Times.  Latera concert version of the show starring Sally Kellerman was presented at the University of Judaism.  She is currently preparing a new version of the production, re-titled “I Only Have Eyes For You.” On November 22, 2007, Corky Hale made her debut at Carnegie Hall as a Piano Soloist with the New York Pops Orchestra, under the baton of Guest Conductor, Barry Levitt.  In 2008 she appeared at the Metropolitan Room in New York and produced a Tribute to Sammy Cahn at the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills.  In 2009 she appeared at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. in Los Angeles, selling it out for the third time.  Also in 2009, she also appeared as a performer on the Inaugural Playboy Jazz Cruise of the Caribbean. In December 2008 – January 2009, she produced a Sold Out, Standing Room Only Revival of Leiber & Stoller’s Smokey Joe’s Café at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, which received rave reviews, including a Critics Choice in the Los Angeles Times.  The same production was also nominated for 10 Ovation Awards in 2009, receiving the most nominations of any single theatrical show produced in Los Angeles during that year.  Currently discussions are underway for another National Tour of the Revival of the show.  In 2010, Corky Hale served as one of the financial backers of Academy AwardÒ nominated documentary film, “The Most Dangerous Man In America – Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers.”  Hale also appeared at Catalina Bar & Grill and the Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles in 2010. 2011 appearances included:  the 22nd New York Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center; the 16th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Knickerbocker Bar & Grill in New York; Midtown Jazz at Midday at St. Peter’s Church in New York; Catalina Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, CA, and the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA. In addition to her musical accomplishments, Hale jokingly considers herself the ultimate cook-housewife.  She has been happily married since 1970 for 41 years to songwriter Mike Stoller of the team Leiber & Stoller, whose show Smokey Joe’s Café still holds the record as the longest running musical revue in Broadway history.  She and her husband built the state-of-the-art Dorothy Hecht Health Center in partnership with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, which serves 2,000 women monthly.  She and her husband are currently building another health center in South Los Angeles.  In 2011 Hale was honored as the Champion of Choice by NARAL Pro-Choice America (National Abortion Rights Action League) for her lifelong advocacy for women’s reproductive rights.   Hale serves on the national advisory board of NARAL, the national advisory board of Planned Parenthood and the California board of the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP).  She and her husband are strong advocates of the Southern Poverty Law Center and serve on the board of the National Coalition to Ban Gun Violence. In 2012, besides appearing at Catalina Bar & Grill in “A Birthday Tribute To Billie Holiday” with Freda Payne and Tricia Tahara, she will be appearing with her husband, Mike Stoller, as the Inaugural Guests in the new “In Conversation” Speaker Series at the Museum at Eldridge Street in Manhattan, NY, in celebration of the museum’s home, the historic 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue. 

Grammy Award-nomineated singer and actress FREDA PAYNE ("Band Of Gold") was born on September 19 in Detroit. Freda modeled and took ballet and Afro-Cuban dance. While at Hutchins Middle School, she appeared on the nationally televised Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour. Singing jingles, Payne was featured on WJR radio's Make Way for Youth and many other local television and radio shows. Payne's mother spurned a contract from, then unknown, Barry Gordy. When she graduated from Central High School Freda Payne toured with Pearl Bailey's musical review and sang with the Duke Ellington Band. Her first album was ‘After the Lights Go Down’ for ABC's Impulse Records in 1962. Moving to New York City, Freda made appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show and The Dick Cavett Show. In 1964, she joined the Four Tops, Billy Eckstine, and Nipsey Russell on the Quincy Jones Tour. Payne was understudy for Leslie Uggams in Broadway's ‘Hallelujah Baby’ and performed in the show 5 times.   Stardom for Payne began when she signed with Invictus Records, run by her old Detroit friends, Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., and Lamont Dozier (formerly of Motown) in1969. Payne's smash single "Band of Gold" in 1970 was ranked #1 in the U.K. and #3 in the U.S.A., her first gold record. Other hits included "Deeper and Deeper", "You Brought Me Joy" and the anti-war, "Bring the Boys Home". As her star kept rising, Payne appeared in television specials and toured Europe and Japan. Although she left Invictus in1973, to date she has recorded 21 albums including several remakes of "Band of Gold". In1974, she made the cover of Jet magazine after she was dubbed a Dame of Malta, by the Knights of Malta and the Sovereign Military and Hospital Order of St. John of Jerusalem by the Prince of Rumania. Payne hosted Todays Black Woman, a talk show, in 1980 - 81 before joining the cast of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies in 1982. She also starred in productions of Ain't Misbehavin' with Della Reese, The Blues in the Night, Jellies Last Jam with Gregory Hines, and Savion Glover into the 1990's. Payne film appearances include Private Obsession, Sprung , Ragdoll , The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and Fire and Ice. More recently, Freda released an EP of duets titled ‘Let There Be Love’ featuring Freda singing with Johnny Mathis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kenny Lattimore, and Kurt Elling. She has also been busy writing her memoir ‘Band of Gold A Memoir’ Yorkshire Publishing (November 2, 2021) with Mark Bego. In January 2024 Freda will release  a new single titled ‘Just To Be With You’. (Golden Promises Mix) produced by former Motown producer Michael B. Sutton at The Sound of L.A. (partnership with Worldsound/Virgin Music Group/Universal Music Group) Freda Payne’s prolific career will continue to flourish and prosper for as long as her creative juices keep flowing. Her indelible mark on the music industry is far from over.

Los Angeles resident and Savant Records recording artist Tricia Taharawas raised in Detroit on an eclectic mixture of rock, pop, opera, and Broadway show tunes. She honed her classical technique at the University of Michigan, developed her jazz chops at the Berklee College of Music, and hit the road with rock and funk bands that took her literally around the world.   Tricia then teamed up with fellow Berklee alum Wallace Roney and an all-star jazz band including Antoine Roney, Geri Allen, Ralphe Armstrong, and Lenny White for her debut album, Secrets, prompting raves from the jazz press. As a jazz singer, Tricia has played venues from the legendary Birdland in New York and Don Bosco Hall’s “A Jazzy Evening” in Detroit to L.A.’s own Vibrato Grill Jazz and Catalina Jazz Club. She also fulfilled a lifelong dream to perform at Carnegie Hall when, accompanied by the New York Pops Orchestra, Tricia performed as composers’ choice in an all-star tribute to songwriters Leiber and Stoller. Tricia is expanding her horizons in the prestigious Popular Music Program at the USC Thornton School of Music—where they developed a special curriculum just to accommodate her unique blend of abilities and experiences—while she continues to bring her singular brand of jazz/pop/rock to audiences worldwide. Now more than ever, Tricia Tahara is, as the London Times’ Chris Parker writes, “a talent to watch.” And, more importantly, a talent to hear.

Eloise Laws who is also known as “El” is an inspiring artist, Broadway actress, author, songwriter, and a singer who has managed to mesmerize the music world of today with her resonating voice and vibrant personality. Eloise Laws holds more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry and has been widely acclaimed for her harmonious Jazz, soul, and Rhythm & Blues music. Eloise Laws’ passion to explore the depths of music and spread her message through her music has taken her all across the globe and she still continues to perform at sites worldwide. Eloise Laws recently toured Japan where she performed alongside the Law family at the Cotton Club Jazz festival. Eloise Laws has also been bestowed with the esteemed Cherry Blossom Award at the Tokyo Music Festival. Currently, Eloise Laws is actively performing in different grand music festivals hosted at the intimate stages in the different regions of the world including Playboy Jazz Festival and Long Beach Jazz Festival. Eloise Laws next Jazz stop is Havana, Cuba where she will be performing in the club Jazz Fest this coming December. There is a special place for the Blues music in the musical career of Eloise Laws. Time and time again, Eloise Laws has shown her versatility and love for the Blues by crafting formidable Blues. In her theater career, Eloise Laws has featured in or co-developed numerous musicals and her musical “It Ain’t Nothin’, But the Blues” has been acknowledged with four Tony nominations. The new singles of Eloise Laws “Can’t Let Myself, Hurt Myself” and “Don’t Move, Don’t Blink” has attracted wide acclamations and positive reviews. In the first of the two singles, Eloise Laws majorly emphasizes upon the spirit of women and the song is a demonstration of power and independence that the women spirit holds within. The latter one is a powerful composition which is filled with an inspirational aura that shows the advocacy of love and romance and delivers a message of self-belief. Eloise Laws is currently focusing on widening her horizons and is emphasizing mainly on exploring the depths of different genres of music including Jazz and Blues. The fact that she has got quite a number of acclamations under her belt assists her in experimenting and crafting new musical pieces of great significance. The blend of passionate style and unique vocals of Eloise Laws is her key to success and acts as a medium through which she reaches the hearts and minds of her music lovers or “El’s Angels”.