Cassandra Wilson
She reshaped modern jazz singing by weaving Mississippi blues, country folk, and soul into a sound that is both earthy and utterly sophisticated.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American jazz singer, songwriter and producer·Birthday: December 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cassandra Wilson emerged from Jackson, Mississippi, with a voice that defies category—a deep, mahogany-toned instrument that carries the weight of Southern history. Moving to New York City in the 1980s, she became a pivotal member of the M-Base collective, exploring funk and avant-garde ideas. Her true breakthrough came in the 1990s when she turned inward, mining the roots music of her upbringing. Albums like 'Blue Light 'Til Dawn' and 'New Moon Daughter' were stark, atmospheric revelations, featuring her haunting interpretations of Monkees songs, Hank Williams classics, and Robert Johnson blues over sparse, acoustic arrangements. This alchemy won her Grammys and critical adoration, establishing a template for genre-fluid jazz that influenced a generation. Wilson is not just a singer; she is a sonic archaeologist and producer, crafting intimate worlds where jazz is a feeling, not just a form.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cassandra was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cassandra Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Cassandra's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Vocal Performance for her 1996 album 'New Moon Daughter.'
- Was named "America's Best Singer" by Time magazine in 2001.
- Her 1993 album 'Blue Light 'Til Dawn' is considered a landmark recording that redefined jazz vocal standards through folk and blues material.
- Served as the first artistic director of the Berlin JazzFest in 2017.
Did You Know?
She is the daughter of the late blues musician Herman Fowlkes, a bassist and guitarist.
She studied classical piano and briefly played clarinet before focusing on her voice.
Her early career included a role as an extra in the 1981 film "The Soldier," starring Ken Wahl.
She has covered songs by an exceptionally wide range of artists, from U2 and The Monkees to Neil Young and Cyndi Lauper.
“I'm from Mississippi, and a lot of the music I heard growing up was blues and folk and country. That's in my blood.”
