I just heard about Ernestine Anderson on NPR interview with Christian McBride
Two Greats From Seattle, 'One Of The Most Important Jazz Cities'
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/12/392578725/two-greats-from-seattle-one-of-the-most-important-jazz-cities
"Jazz bassist and composer Christian McBride recently finished a week-long West Coast tour in Seattle. It reminded him of how great a town it was for jazz, both historically and presently.
"There's always been a very powerful jazz community in Seattle," McBride says, citing the early careers of Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. "Quietly, it's been one of the most important jazz cities."
All Things Considered's jazz correspondent (and the host of the public radio program Jazz Night In America) recently introduced host Audie Cornish to two more names from Seattle: trombonist Julian Priester and vocalist Ernestine Anderson.
Ernestine Anderson, 'A Very Rare Living Example'
Now 86, Anderson graduated high school in Seattle before launching her professional career.
"Ernestine Anderson, kind of, was very similar to Dinah Washington in the sense that she crossed a lot of different genres," McBride says. "She was very well respected — is still very well respected — not just as a jazz singer, also as a pop singer, also as an R&B singer. She had a very, very strong following with the R&B crowd.""