Three-time Grammy-winning jazz singer Nancy Wilson, best known for her single “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” and her version of “Guess Who I Saw Today,” passed away on December 13, 2018 following after a long illness. She was 81 years old. 

Nancy Sue Wilson was born on February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Wilson grew up listening to recordings from such artists as Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, and Little Esther. While singing in church choirs, Wilson became aware of her talent and knew that she would eventually become a singer. At 15, Wilson won a talent contest and got to appear on the television show, Skyline Melodies, which she ended up hosting. She went on to work in clubs on the east side and north side of Ohio, before entering college to pursue teaching. Wilson later returned to her original ambitions and toured with Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn Club Big Band from 1956 to 1958.

After relocating to New York City, at the behest of Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, got her first big break filling in for Irene Reid at The Blue Morocco. The club went on to book Wilson on a permanent basis with her singing four nights a week. Cannonball’s manager John Levy later sent demos of Wilson’s “Guess Who I Saw Today” and “Sometimes I’m Happy” to Capitol Records, who signed her in 1960. Wilson’s debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today” was so successful that Capitol Records released five Nancy Wilson albums between 1960 and 1962. Her first album, Like in Love, showcased her talent in R&B, while her subsequent albums geared her music toward jazz and ballads. Cannonball and Wilson later collaborated on the album Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley, which propelled her to national acclaim with the hit song, “Save Your Love For Me.” 

During 1964 and 1965, four of Wilson’s albums hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top LPs chart. At the same time, Wilson won her first Grammy for the best rhythm and blues recording with the 1964 album How Glad I Am. Her most successful hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” which peaked at No. 11. She went on to log 11 songs more songs on the Hot 100, including two Christmas singles. Following several television guest appearances, Wilson got her own Emmy Award-winning series on NBC, The Nancy Wilson Show. 

Over the years, Wilson appeared on such shows as I Spy, Hawaii Five-O, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show, The Danny Kaye Show, Kraft Music Hall, The Andy Williams Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, and The Flip Wilson Show. After recording the theme song for The Last Dinosaur in Japan, Wilson recorded five albums for Japanese labels which led to her being selected as the winner of the annual Tokyo Song Festivals. 

Throughout the 1980s, Wilson signed with CBS and released the albums The Two of Us (including duets with Ramsey Lewis), Forbidden Lover (featuring the title track duet with Carl Anderson) and A Lady with a Song. In 1987 she participated in a PBS show entitled Newport Jazz ’87 before Nancy Wilson in Concert played as a television special. As a tribute to Johnny Mercer, Wilson recorded the 1990 album With My Lover Beside Me. During this decade, Wilson also recorded Love, Nancy and If I Had it My Way. In the 1992 edition of Essence, Wilson was featured as a “grand diva of jazz” and received the Whitney Young Jr. Award from the Urban League. Wilson later teamed with the nonprofit youth-education program MCG Jazz and produced the albums R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) and Turned to Blue. Both albums won the the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. 

Across her decades long career, Wilson recorded more than 70 albums and received countless acclaim including the Playboy Reader Poll Award for best jazz vocalist, Global Entertainer of the Year Award, Trumpet Award for Outstanding Achievement, NAACP Image Awards for Best Recording Jazz Artist, Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Award, and the NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award. She was also inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame, the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame and received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Wilson eventually retired on September 10, 2011, performing on a public stage for the last time at Ohio University stating, “I’m not going to be doing it anymore, and what better place to end it than where I started – in Ohio.” 

Wilson is survived by her three children and five grandchildren.