Joan Belgrave

Joan Belgrave, the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer recorded her sixth solo project, entitled Oooo Boy.                                                                                                                                 

Based in Detroit, Joan is the consummate vocalist, equally adept with big band, blues, standards, gospel, and contemporary R&B alike, while holding fans and critics rapt at prestigious venues like the Detroit Opera House, NJPAC, the Metropolitan Room, Catalina's in Los Angeles, and the Jazz Standard. "Belgrave's voice is so soothing and sexy, she could give a pit bull goose bumps" the Detroit Metro Times raved while jazzREVIEW has called her "a class act and a beautiful talent." The artist herself explains it best: "I love singing with every fiber of my body. I have to sing because that's who I am."

The trajectory Joan has followed from singing gospel in the Baptist church as a young girl and entertaining family friends in Michigan to becoming a critically acclaimed performer who's delighted sold-out crowds across the globe traces a fascinating course. Joan's mother, who also sang, introduced her to classical baritone vocalist, Dr. Willis Patterson. "He took me under his wing and trained my voice," she says. Moving to Hollywood, Joan pursued a professional singing career but soon shelved her musical aspirations in order to raise her three children. She reached a critical juncture when her father passed away. "I went back to Michigan and my mom asked me to sing at the funeral," she says. "I hadn't sung publicly for 15 years. When I went back home to California, it was almost like a waterfall had opened. I couldn't stop singing if I wanted to."

By the late-'90s, Joan had fully immersed herself in music. She began writing songs and recorded Emotions Blue (1998), her tribute to Billie Holiday. "I really related to her" she says. Joan's chameleonic musicality fueled her follow-up Variations (2005). "It was a variety of me," she explains about the album's concept. "I had blues, gospel, jazz, and R&B going on there. I never want to limit myself to jazz because I am not just a jazz vocalist. I'm a vocalist, period." All of these projects were recorded in California, once she felt she had given her children a “solid foundation”. Unfortunately, her finding her musical voice again, caused her 16-year marriage to end.   

Relocating to Detroit, Joan met her musical soul mate, legendary trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. He bought three copies of Emotions Blue and Variations after hearing her sing during a jam session at Bert's Marketplace. "I didn't know who Marcus was when I met him," she confides. At the time, Joan was producing a B3 concert with Dr. Lonnie Smith, and hired Marcus to open the show. Their professional partnership gradually grew into a romantic relationship. The couple wed in 2007 and released their first of two collaborations with New Orleans saxophonist Charlie Gabriel, You Don’t Know Me: A Tribute to New Orleans, Ray Charles, and the Great Ladies of Song (2007). "Marcus was the last living member of Ray Charles' original band," Joan explains. "We had a Louis Armstrong show and a New Orleans show. Marcus wanted to do something for Ray." The trio followed up with Marcus, Charlie, and Joan … Once Again (2009) where Joan's voice duly complemented the superb musicality of the album's two jazz virtuosos.

Joan resumed her solo career with Excitable (2009), which Detroit-based Blue Rivers Records re-released in 2014 along with a video for Joan's smooth and soulful re-recording of her self-penned "Hey Love" (2013). She released Merry Christmas Baby (2014), recorded "Please Send Me Someone to Love" for Blue Note Records president Don Was, and even ventured into techno with producer Carl Craig on Tribe's "Where Am I" (2009). In between headlining the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Ontario Jazz Festival, Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and the annual Don Was Detroit All Star Revue concert, she continued to produce her own shows throughout Detroit, in addition to being a lead vocalist with the Motown Legends Gospel Choir.

Sadly, Marcus Belgrave passed away in May 2015. "Marcus wasn't just my husband," she says. "He was my musical partner. When Marcus was young, his father told him to listen to singers. I think that's why we gelled. He would talk to me through his horn." Marcus remains an inspirational force for Joan, who recently composed "I'm Not Going Anywhere", which is now released on the “Oooo Boy” project.

On “Oooo Boy,” Joan exhibits a masterful breadth of vocal ability, style, and range. The project is representative of the love, support, and hardships that Joan experienced in 2022. Along with releasing “Oooo Boy,” Joan is producing and appearing in a documentary about her late husband, and partner, Marcus and his contributions to the popular music landscape that spanned fifty years. Expected to be completed in 2023, Joan is determined to tell Marcus’ story in a way that both celebrates him as a person and a musical icon.

In his memory, she founded the Belgrave Scholarship Fund for young musicians and the Marcus Belgrave Legacy Ensemble which debuted to rave international reviews at the sold-out show for the 2020 Winter Jazz Festival in New York, City.

Whether onstage or in the studio, Joan Belgrave reaches listeners through a voice that holds a world of musical wonders. Her thrilling versatility and passion for music shines through every note she sings. "No matter what's going on, the music is my savior," she says. "It always has been." Music takes Joan Belgrave to new heights. Join her for the flight.