# Carmen McRae

> American jazz musician and actress (1922-1994)

**Wikidata**: [Q240371](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q240371)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_McRae)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/carmen-mcrae

# Carmen McRae

## Summary
Carmen McRae was an American jazz musician, singer, pianist, recording artist, and actress whose career spanned over five decades from 1939 to 1991. Recognized as one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, she received the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters award and recorded for numerous major labels including Decca, Columbia, Atlantic, and Blue Note. Born Carmen Mercedes McRae on April 8, 1922 (some sources list 1920), she remained active in the jazz genre until her passing on November 10, 1994.

## Biography
- **Born:** April 8, 1922 (some sources cite 1920)
- **Died:** November 10, 1994
- **Nationality:** United States
- **Full Name:** Carmen Mercedes McRae
- **Known for:** Jazz singing, piano performance, acting in film and television, and recording across a five-decade career
- **Field(s):** Jazz music, acting, recording arts
- **Active Years:** 1939–1991
- **Record Labels:** Decca, Kapp Records, Columbia Records, Mainstream Records, Atlantic Records, Blue Note, Concord Records
- **Award:** NEA Jazz Masters (National Endowment for the Arts jazz award, established 1982)

## Contributions
Carmen McRae built a substantial body of work as a recording artist across multiple prestigious record labels. She recorded for Decca (a British record label founded in 1929), Kapp Records (a US label active 1954–1973), Columbia Records (founded 1889), Mainstream Records (founded 1964), Atlantic Records (founded 1947), Blue Note (founded 1939), and Concord Records (founded 1972). Her work spanned the jazz genre exclusively, as indicated by her genre classification. As a film actor and actress, she appeared in dramatic and comic productions across film, television, theatre, and radio. McRae's career began in 1939 and concluded in 1991, encompassing over five decades of contribution to American jazz and entertainment. She received the NEA Jazz Masters award, a recognition granted by the National Endowment for the Arts to honor lifetime achievement in jazz.

## FAQs

**What instruments did Carmen McRae play?**
Carmen McRae was a pianist who accompanied her own vocal performances throughout her career in jazz music.

**What record labels was Carmen McRae associated with?**
McRae recorded for a wide array of labels: Decca, Kapp Records, Columbia Records, Mainstream Records, Atlantic Records, Blue Note, and Concord Records, reflecting her versatility and long career across the American music industry.

**What awards did Carmen McRae receive?**
She was named an NEA Jazz Master, the National Endowment for the Arts' highest honor in jazz, awarded since 1982 to recognize lifetime achievement and contributions to the art form.

**When was Carmen McRae active in her career?**
Her professional career began in 1939 and extended through 1991, covering over fifty years of performance and recording in jazz music and acting.

**What was Carmen McRae's involvement in acting?**
In addition to her music career, McRae worked as a film actor and actress, appearing in productions across film, television, theatre, and radio.

## Why They Matter
Carmen McRae holds a significant place in American jazz history as both a vocalist and pianist whose career paralleled the evolution of jazz through much of the 20th century. Her recognition as an NEA Jazz Master places her among the most honored figures in the genre, alongside artists who shaped the trajectory of American music. Her extensive recording catalog across seven major and independent labels — from the early decades with Decca through later work with Concord Records — demonstrates both her artistic range and enduring relevance across changing musical eras. McRae's dual career as a musician and actress made her a multifaceted figure in American entertainment, contributing to jazz as a performer while also appearing in film and other media. Her work helped sustain and advance the jazz tradition during periods of significant cultural change in the United States.

## Notable For
- **NEA Jazz Masters award recipient**, the National Endowment for the Arts' highest jazz honor
- **Career spanning over five decades**, from 1939 to 1991
- **Recording artist for seven major and independent labels**: Decca, Kapp Records, Columbia Records, Mainstream Records, Atlantic Records, Blue Note, and Concord Records
- **Dual career** as a jazz musician (singer and pianist) and as a film actor and actress
- **Full name** Carmen Mercedes McRae, active under the professional name Carmen McRae
- **American citizenship** and lifelong association with the United States' jazz tradition
- **Extensive international cataloging** across VIAF, ISNI, Library of Congress, BNF, GND, and numerous other databases

## Body

### Identity and Background
Carmen Mercedes McRae was born on April 8, 1922, though some sources list her birth year as 1920. She was an American citizen and is classified in major knowledge bases as a human instance of Homo sapiens, reflecting her standard biographical documentation. She died on November 10, 1994.

### Professional Occupations
McRae's career encompassed multiple professional identities. She worked as a singer performing for listening audiences, a pianist, a jazz musician specializing in the jazz genre (a musical style and genre with inception dated to 1917), a recording artist producing music for recordings, a film actor appearing in films, and an actor in dramatic and comic productions across film, television, theatre, and radio.

### Recording Career and Label Associations
McRae's recording career involved partnerships with numerous record labels:

- **Decca**: A British record label founded in 1929, headquartered in London, known for artists such as David Bowie and Luciano Pavarotti. McRae's association with Decca connected her to one of the phonographic industry's most historic labels.
- **Kapp Records**: An American record label that operated from 1954 to 1973.
- **Columbia Records**: One of the oldest and most prestigious American record labels, founded on January 15, 1889, by David M. Levy, now owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Columbia has been home to artists including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan.
- **Mainstream Records**: An American record label founded in 1964.
- **Atlantic Records**: An American record label founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson, now a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Atlantic played a crucial role in bringing rhythm and blues and jazz to mainstream audiences.
- **Blue Note**: The main imprint of Blue Note Records, Inc., founded in 1939, specializing in jazz music. Blue Note is owned by Capitol Music Group and has been associated with artists such as John Coltrane and Norah Jones.
- **Concord Records**: An American record label founded in 1972.

### Genre and Musical Style
McRae's musical work was classified exclusively within the jazz genre. Her career paralleled jazz's development from the swing era through modern jazz movements, and her recognition as an NEA Jazz Master affirms her significance within this tradition.

### Acting Career
Beyond music, McRae pursued acting as a film actor and general actor. This dual career in both music and film placed her among the entertainers who bridged multiple sectors of the American entertainment industry. Her work in film, television, theatre, and radio demonstrated versatility beyond her primary identity as a jazz musician.

### Awards and Recognition
McRae received the NEA Jazz Masters award, established in 1982 by the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States. This award represents one of the highest honors in American jazz, recognizing lifetime achievement and contributions to the art form.

### Digital and Archival Presence
McRae is documented extensively across international databases and knowledge systems. Her identifiers include presence in the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF: 12492124), the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI: 0000000114679331), the Library of Congress (n84002094), the German National Library (GND: 123260698), the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF: 13897344z), and numerous other cataloging systems. She has identifiers on platforms including IMDb (nm0574424), MusicBrainz (29b0a6c7-ab3a-4bf3-a64f-63c8a3548196), AllMusic, Discogs (34183), Spotify, and others, reflecting her continued presence in digital music ecosystems. Her Wikipedia article is linked across approximately 30 language editions.

### Career Timeline
McRae's work period began in 1939 and ended in 1991, spanning 52 years of professional activity. This timeline encompasses the pre-World War II era through the end of the Cold War, placing her career against the backdrop of transformative decades in American cultural history. Her birth in the early 1920s positioned her as part of the generation that came of age during the swing era and matured alongside the bebop and post-bop movements in jazz.

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. Integrated Authority File
3. Montreux Jazz Festival Database
4. Notable Black American Women
5. BlackPast.org
6. Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians
7. International Standard Name Identifier
8. MusicBrainz
9. Virtual International Authority File
10. Discogs
11. [Source](https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu013004)
12. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
13. Find a Grave
14. Czech National Authority Database
15. IMDb
16. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
17. BBC Things
18. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
19. YouTube API