Clubs After winning a talent contest at the age of 15, she began performing in clubs. By 1941–42, she was performing in such Chicago clubs as Dave's Café and the Downbeat Room of the Sherman Hotel (with
Fats Waller). She was playing at the Three Deuces, a jazz club, when a friend took her to hear
Billie Holiday at the Garrick Stage Bar. Club owner Joe Sherman was so impressed with her singing of "
I Understand", backed by the
Cats and the Fiddle, who were appearing in the Garrick's upstairs room, that he hired her. During her year at the Garrick—she sang upstairs while Holiday performed in the downstairs room—she acquired the name by which she became known. She credited Joe Sherman with suggesting the change from Ruth Jones, made before
Lionel Hampton came to hear Dinah at the Garrick. Both that record and its follow-up, "Salty Papa Blues", made the
Billboard "Harlem Hit Parade" in 1944. In December 1945, she made a series of 12 recordings for
Apollo Records, 10 of which were issued, featuring the
Lucky Thompson All Stars.
Solo recordings and hits She stayed with Hampton's band until 1946, after the Keynote label folded, and signed for
Mercury Records as a solo singer. Her first record for Mercury, a version of
Fats Waller's "
Ain't Misbehavin'", was another hit, starting a long string of success. Between 1948 and 1955, she had 27 R&B top-10 hits, making her one of the most popular and successful singers of the period. Both "Am I Asking Too Much" (1948) and "
Baby Get Lost" (1949) reached Number 1 on the R&B chart, and her version of "
I Wanna Be Loved" (1950)
crossed over to reach Number 22 on the
US Pop Chart. Washington returned to perform at the twelfth
Cavalcade of Jazz also at
Wrigley Field in Los Angeles on September 2, 1956. Also performing that day were
Little Richard, The Mel Williams Dots, Julie Stevens,
Chuck Higgins' Orchestra,
Bo Rhambo, Willie Hayden & Five Black Birds, The Premiers,
Gerald Wilson and His 20-Pc. Recording Orchestra and
Jerry Gray and his Orchestra. In 1959, she had her first top ten pop hit, with a version of "
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes", which made Number 4 on the US pop chart. Her band at that time included arranger and conductor
Belford Hendricks, with
Kenny Burrell (guitar),
Joe Zawinul (piano), and
Panama Francis (drums). She followed it up with a version of
Irving Gordon's "
Unforgettable", and then two highly successful duets in 1960 with
Brook Benton, "
Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (No. 5 Pop, No. 1 R&B) and "
A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)" (No. 7 Pop, No. 1 R&B). Her last big hit was "
September in the Rain" in 1961 (No. 23 Pop, No. 5 R&B). She also recorded a song called "
Big Long Slidin' Thing", supposedly about a trombonist. Washington was well known for singing
torch songs. In 1962, she hired a male backing trio called the Allegros, consisting of Jimmy Thomas on drums, Earl Edwards on sax, and Jimmy Sigler on organ. Edwards was replaced on sax by John Payne. A
Variety writer praised their vocals as "effective choruses".
Appraisals and notable performances In the 1950s and early 1960s before her death, Washington occasionally performed on the Las Vegas Strip.
Tony Bennett said of Washington during a recording session with
Amy Winehouse: According to Richard S. Ginell at AllMusic: Washington's achievements included appearances at the
Newport Jazz Festival (1955–1959), the Randalls Island Jazz Festival in New York City (1959), and the International Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. (1962), frequent gigs at
Birdland (1958, 1961–1962), and performances in 1963 with
Count Basie and
Duke Ellington. ==Personal life and death==