Born March 30, 1979, in New York City, but raised in a suburb of Dallas, Texas after relocating south with her mother Sue, Norah Jones showed a strong aptitude for music since childhood. She enrolled in Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts to hone her musical talents but after exposure to several instruments, she realized she wanted to play the piano. Already career-minded, she knew that a solid foundation of jazz piano could pave the way for better things...
For two years following her graduation from high school, she studied at the University of North Texas, majoring in jazz piano. Before her third year, she decided to take a trip to New York City. The trip started out as simply a summer stay, but Jones soon knew that she would not be returning home for quite some time.
Engrossed in the music scene, Jones gravitated toward local musicians and songwriters who urged her, after seeing her sing, to jump-start her own career. Between waitressing jobs, Jones soon started a band in which she sung lead vocals and, of course, played piano. In October 2000, the band ambitiously brought a demo to EMI Blue Note Records, whose roster boasts a host of blues, jazz, folk, and country musicians.
At a meeting with Blue Note president Bruce Lundvall in January 2001, Jones played her three-song tape, hoping to earn a break. Lundvall was so impressed with this young girl's talents that he signed her on the spot. After little more than a year of work, Norah Jones released her debut album, Come Away With Me. Norah Jones has already sold 2.6 million copies of the album (a rare feat for a Blue Note recording artist), despite close to zero airplay. Despite the lack of publicity, her album is inching its way up the music charts while the debut single "Don't Know Why" is climbing up the Adult Top 40 chart.
To follow up the release of her impressive album, Norah Jones performed at a Willie Nelson tribute show, toured with John Mayer and Charlie Hunter in the U.S., and recently traveled to Japan and Europe to perform.
Merely in her early 20s, Norah Jones has an unbelievable amount of skill that should take her very far. She leads an enviable life with her number one passion as a career, a solid family (recently reconciling with her father, Ravi Shankar, world-renowned sitar player) and nothing but great publicity.
The sultry-voiced neo-jazz singer already enjoyed a stunning sweep at the Grammy Awards in 2003, where she picked up five trophies in the major categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year for "Don't Know Why", Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Know Why," and Best Pop Vocal Album. It's clear that this is only the beginning for Miss Jones.
