The youngest daughter of jazz and cabaret singer-pianist Hutch (Leslie A. J. Hutchinson), British vocalist/songwriter Emma Hutchinson doesn't remember her father, who died when she was four. However, she listened to his records as a child and thus learned many jazz standards by osmosis. Exposed to a wide variety of music - her stepfather played blues guitar and reggae, her mother loved musicals and classical and her sister's Led Zeppelin and Genesis albums reverberated round the house - she was obsessed with singing, writing poetry and listening to the radio, to which she attributes her broad taste in music. Favourite artists include Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Motown, the Beatles, Elvis Costello and Bacharach & David. Initially she began as a backing vocalist in soul and funk cover bands while working her day-job as a linguist/export manager.
In the early 90's her fascination with accapella music led to the formation of Thrush, an all-girl accapella group performing her satirical and politicized songs with titles like "The Green Shoots Of Recovery", "Women On Their Way To Work" and "Give A Voice To The Voiceless." The success of Thrush led to her joining semi-professional accapella group Sweet Soul Sisters as a songwriter/vocalist in 1992. Live concerts, international radio & TV appearances and the popular Freshly Squeezed CD followed. In 1995, following the band's sell-out performances in Canada, Emma moved to Los Angeles. There she taught herself jazz guitar and played through jazz real books to rediscover the repertoire associated with her father. Participating in legendary jazz drummer Billy Higgins' workshops and sitting-in at gigs and jam sessions honed her vocal jazz chops. With her new-found musical knowledge she began writing again and composed many of the songs which were to appear on her debut jazz/soul CD Hummingbirds (also available at CD Baby!).
Returning to the UK in 2000, Emma became a full-time musician and formed the Emma Hutchinson Jazz Quintet, the Emma Hutchinson Blues Band and the Emma Hutchinson Groove Trio, gigging around the UK while also beginning work recording Hummingbirds, which was released in December 2003 on her own Flying Jewel label. In 2004 she collaborated with Gary Bamford to produce the VoxPop Vocal Warm-Ups & Workouts for Contemporary Singers CD, a vocal exercise resource for students and teachers (available at www.voxpopproductions.com.
Her latest CD, the EP "Let Me Be Me", was released in May 2005.
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