An extraordinary jazz vocalist, Sue (Oatts) Tucker, comes from a family of known jazz musicians. She didn't have to look far for encouragement when her love for singing took off. "My father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz educators in Iowa. Music was always around... mostly jazz." Her brothers, Jim and Dick Oatts, are also internationally known and respected jazz artists.
Before she took up singing, Sue was blowin' her tenor sax in jazz band and playing a duet with Clark Terry at a jazz festival on her clarinet. "I think playing a horn has had a great influence on my singing. I've tried to approach singing from an instrumental mindset. Space is just as important as sound."
After attending college, Sue began a studio career producing and singing jingles and industrials with a voice-over thrown in on occasion. She spent seven years teaching music theory, vocal studio techniques and coordinating the ensemble dept. at McNally Smith College of Music in downtown St. Paul amd six years as Assistant Director of Education at the Institute of Production & Recording in downtown Minneapolis. Sue is currently back at McNally Smith College of Music as the Registrar Assistant and finishing up her Business Administration degree. You'll find her at various night spots in the Twin Cities and beyond singing her cool jazz.
Read more...