born April 8, 1920, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Nov. 10, 1994, Beverly Hills, Calif.
U.S. singer and pianist.
McRae was influenced by Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan . She began her career in 1943 singing at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, absorbing the innovations of the first bebop musicians. Working as a soloist from the mid-1950s, McRae became one of the most accomplished scat singers and ballad interpreters in jazz .