We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dee Alexander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am ecstatic about being a creative artist. I know what it is like to have a regular job because I was employed at the University of Illinois from 8:30-5pm and performed many nights from 9pm-1am or later and a mother of two sons that I helped with homework..getting to school and other activities. At times I wonder how I did it myself. Thank God for the assistance of my grandmother. My sons are ten years apart and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. As a mother I needed a job with a great income and benefits to take care of myself and my children. Many of my artist friends at that time thought that I wasn’t a true artist because I had a 9to5. Go figure…those same artists were struggling to make ends meet while honing their craft. I was blessed to have a job, an extended family and two wonderful sons who are now thriving adults. My sons saw how hard I worked and this was also instilled into them….they call me “the beast” because of my work ethic. I did work hard and sometimes it was difficult but as a mother you do what you have to do. I went to work…usually on time…since I did not partake in drug usage nor was I heavy drinker. Initially I did not share with my job what I did after hours but soon they found out and actually hired me for a few events. I asked one of my bosses if he had known that I was a performing artist if he would have hired me and he said no. But we became very good friends and he knew that I had a strong work ethic and most of the time a pleasant disposition. I retired from that job and now I have a pension (another blessing). I am also at the age of collecting social security and I am also a member of the WFMT Jazz Network and host a syndicated radio show which airs in over 200 markets. It is a blessing that I do not take for granted…plus above all else…I’m having a ball!! Now I’m at the stage of my life in which I can travel…I’m still performing with several groups…and yes…I do sleep late sometime.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Dee Alexander and I am a vocalist and songwriter born and raised on the west side of Chicago. My performances span virtually every music genre: gospel, blues, neo soul, R&B, and world music. My true heart belongs to jazz. I gravitated towards music, especially jazz at an early age and i thank my mother for that. Many mornings my brothers and I were awakened to the voices of Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington Nina Simone….et al as well as the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.

In my youth and throughout high school, I was active in various musicals and everything relating to the arts. I travelled extensively throughout Europe with Sue Conway and the Victory Singers for 15 years during the holidays. I was mentored by a gentleman by the name of “Light” Henry Huff who was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, doctor of naprapathy and acupuncture He encouraged me to take risks and cross boundaries which put me on the path to becoming an accomplished voice improviser, He was one of my greatest influences.

That path has led me to so many extraordinary performances. Here are a few highlights:

2018 History Makers honoring Harry Lennix, Jr.
2016 Chicago Symphony Center -Chicago Jazz Orchestra Tribute to Sarah Vaughan
2015 Chicago Jazz Festival – Chicago Jazz Festival
2014 Kennedy Center – Chicago Jazz Orchestra – Kennedy Center Honors
2013 Newport Jazz Festival
2010 Tribute to Abraham Lincoln – Proclamation of Hope with Ramsey Lewis at Kennedy Center
2009 Chicago Jazz Festival – Dee Alexander and the Siren’s Orchestra; Tribute to Abraham Lincoln –
Proclamation of Hope with Ramsey Lewis – Ravinia
2008 Hope in Action – Homage to Nelson Mandela with Orbert Davis and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic –
Millennium Park
2007 Sirens of Song – Tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington – Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion;
AACM Great Black Music Ensemble Tribute to Fletcher Henderson – Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion; Jazz
Institute of Chicago – Tribute to ”Light“ Henry Huff – Columbus Park; Blue Room – Kansas City, Mo – Dee
Alexander Trio with Dennis Winslett
2006 Sweet Rhythm NYC – Passing Thru with Oliver Lake; Chicago Jazz Festival with Africa Brass Tribute
to Malachi Thompson; Exquisitely for Ella Tribute – Chicago Jazz Orchestra
2005 Millennium Park Jazz Series – Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra; Mississippi Valley
Blues Festival – Douglas Ewart’s Inventions; Chicago Jazz Festival – Association for the Advancement of
Creative Musicians (AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble.

Internationally, I performed at the following:
2017 Tel Aviv Jazz Festival; Dee Alexander Quartet
2016 Corsica/Sunset-Paris France; Dee Alexander Quarte
2015 Vienna Austria – Dee Alexander Quartet; Joy of Jazz Festival- Johannesburg, South Africa; Toulouse-
Germany-Dee Alexander Quartet; Made in Chicago-Poznan, Poland
2014 Luanda, Angola-Dee Alexander Quartet; Austria; Dee Alexander-Sydney, Australia
2013 Sons d’Hiver Festival-Paris France; Evolution Ensemble-Milano; Made in Chicago-Poznan Poland
2012 Bliss – Paris, France; Umbria Winter Fest-Orvieto
2011 Tel Aviv Jazz Festival; Dee Alexander Quartet
2010 Umbria Winter Jazz Festival in Orvieto, Italy; Bridgestone Jazz Festival in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Nîmes
Agglo Jazz Festival, Jazz a Serres – Provence-Alpes-Cote d’ Azure; France, Voreppe – Rhones- Alpes, France;
Souillac en Jazz Festival-Midi-Pyrenees, France; Carré Sévigné, Cesson-Sévigné, Rhino Jazz Festival, Espace
Tival, Kingersheim, JazzOnze+ Festival, Lausanne Switzerland; Sardegna -Sant’Anna Arressi Jazz
2009 Umbria Jazz Festival with Great Black Music Ensemble – Sons d’Hiver Festival in Paris France, Sirens
of Song- Tribute to Nina/Dinah
2008 United Nations Conference on Global Warming in Poznan, Poland – Sirens of Song – Tribute to
Nina/Dinah, INNtöne – Jazz am Bauernh of Diersbach Austria with Ari Brown Quartet, Sons d’Hiver Festival in
Paris, France with Ernest Dawkins’ Chicago 12 and AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble
2007/2006 Made in Chicago Festival in Poznan, Poland with inventions, Maggie Brown, Evolution Ensemble
and Nicole Mitchell’s Harambee Project; Le Labbra Nude Jazz Festival with Nicole Mitchells Black Earth
Ensemble in Rome, Italy
2004 Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris, France with Douglas Ewart and Trio Inventions.
She has toured extensively in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and France with Sue Conway
and the Victory Singers, and in Singapore and Holland with the Art Porter Quartet at the North Sea Jazz
Festival.

Awards
2020 City of Chicago Individual Artist Program – Esteemed Artist Grant
2019 OUTSTANDING WOMAN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE for Music and Theater Arts
The African American Arts Alliance of Chicago – Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions
to the arts community of Chicago; Live the Spirit Residency and the Englewood Jazz Festival presents The
Spirit of Jazz Award in recognition of your inspiration and many contributions to Jazz and all its forms
2012 Jazz recipient of the 3Arts; State of Illinois Jesse White Award for Music Arts
2009 Album Wild Is The Wind received five stars (highest honor) from Downbeat Magazine, which named it
among the Top Ten recordings of the new millennium. Best Singer of Chicago in July 2009 issue of
Chicago Magazine; Muntu Dance Theater Alyo Awardee for Outstanding Service to the Arts.
2008 “Chicagoan of the Year” (Chicago Tribune, 2008); Jazz Entertainer of the Year” (Chicago Music

I am also a member of the AACM – Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Chicago’s internationally known musicians’ collective.

One of the things that I am most proud of, especially when it comes to problem solving is something that my grandmother always said.. “You get more from honey, than vinegar”!

I think what sets me apart from many vocalists are the varied musical situations including performances with duo, trios, quartets, and orchestras performing classic jazz and avant garde music.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love communicating with people, especially young people. Recently I performed at a well know club in Chicago – The Jazz Showcase and there were many young people that expressed that it was their first time attending a jazz club and their first jazz music experience and how much they loved it. To my surprise so many of them friended me on Instagram and Facebook again thanking me for the experience. That was so rewarding to me.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have been performing in Chicago for many years so many people do know me. I also have a Social Media Manager who is the best. She manages my website, IG, Facebook, Threads…so I can concentrate on my art form. She sends out weekly notices of my upcoming performances to my Constant Contact audience, which is growing as well. My advice just starting out…remember…there are no overnight sensations. You have to work hard, be consistent, do not be discouraged and when one door closes, another door opens. If you are able to get someone to manage your social media that is a plus….but if you are able to manage it yourself that’s also a plus.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deealexandermusic.com
• Instagram: @sunshinemango212
• Facebook: DeeAlexanderRossignolEntertainment

Image Credits

Photo of Dee Alexander Photos 1,3,4,5
Raymond Mays: Photographer

Photo of Dee Alexander #2
Claude-Aline Nazaire-Miller