Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954, Los Angeles, California) is a Grammy Award winning American R&B; singer, songwriter, composer and pianist.
Rushen was born in Los Angeles, California on September 30, 1954, the eldest of two daughters born to her father and the former Ruth Harris. She demonstrated her musical potential at a young age; she was regarded as a child prodigy. In her teens, she won the prestigious 1972 Monterey Jazz Festi...
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Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954, Los Angeles, California) is a Grammy Award winning American R&B; singer, songwriter, composer and pianist.
Rushen was born in Los Angeles, California on September 30, 1954, the eldest of two daughters born to her father and the former Ruth Harris. She demonstrated her musical potential at a young age; she was regarded as a child prodigy. In her teens, she won the prestigious 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival. She earned her degree in music from the University of Southern California. As a mature woman, she became a jazz master and top musical director.
Due to her musical talents, Rushen has made many ground-breaking achievements. She became the first woman to serve as head composer/musical director for the Grammy Awards and the Emmy Awards, the first woman to serve as musical director for the NAACP Image Awards broadcast, an honor she held for twelve consecutive years. Rushen has been the only woman to be a musical director/composer for the...
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