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B.J. Crosby (November 23, 1952 – March 27, 2015) was an American jazz vocalist, singer, and actress. In 1995, Crosby received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for her performance in the musical, ''Smokey Joe's Cafe''. Her role in ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'' included solo parts in the songs "Hound Dog" and "Fools Fall in Love."〔 ==Early life and career== Crosby was born Joanne Crayton in New Orleans, Louisiana.〔〔 Crayton began her career by singing in church choirs and local theaters during the 1970s and 1980s.〔〔 She adopted B.J. Crosby or Lady BJ as her professional stage names.〔 Crosby was the lead singer of an R&B and jazz band called Spectrum during the late 1970s.〔 During the mid-1980s, Crosby, jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis, Jr., and Germaine Bazzle jointly released an album called "The New Orleans Music" through Rounder Records.〔 Crosby moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to pursue singing and acting.〔 She worked as a singer of "demo" versions of songs written by professional songwriters to support herself. In 1995, she relocated to New York City, where she appeared on Broadway, including ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'', for which she received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1995. She appeared on ''Smokey Joe's Cafes official Broadway album, which won a Grammy Award.〔 Following her success in ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'', she returned to Broadway for two more roles. Crosby starred as Matron "Mama" Morton in the 1996 Broadway revival of ''Chicago'' and played Ma Reed in the 2002 Broadway debut of ''One Mo' Time''.〔 Her national tours included ''Dreamgirls'', in which she was cast as Effie. Outside of the theater, she had guest roles on ''Ally McBeal'', ''The Cosby Show'', ''Family Matters'', ''Gimme a Break'', ''Law & Order'', ''Mad About You'', and other television series.〔〔 Her 1984 cable television special, ''Lady BJ Sings Lady Day: A Tribute to Billie Holiday'', won a CableACE Award.〔 Crosby released her first solo album, "Best of Your Heart," in 2007.〔〔 Her album, which was produced by Judge Elloie, included original content and cover songs originally recorded by Tony Bennett, Betty Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joe Sample, and Stevie Wonder.〔 In January 2007, she performed as a featured vocalist at a new jazz cafe in Istanbul, Turkey.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「B.J. Crosby」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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