Courtney Fortune
Encyclopedia
Courtney Fortune is an American
singer/songwriter from Bellingham, Washington
. Her musical style is categorized as crossover jazz
and pop
, drawing upon a long list of vintage and modern influences. She currently lives and performs in Los Angeles, California
. Her voice is often compared to singers like Peggy Lee
, Eva Cassidy
and Norah Jones
.
After moving to Los Angeles she began collaborating with four-time Grammy nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden
, chosen as the featured vocalist for The Chris Walden Big Band
and lyricist for a number of pop, jazz, folk and electro projects. This year Courtney performed alongside Garrison Keillor
of A Prairie Home Companion for Chuckanut Radio Hour, and was awarded for outstanding musical achievement by the University of Southern California
at the 2008 Dickens Dinner where she performed for legendary songwriters Brian Wilson
and Lamont Dozier
. Courtney currently attends USC and holds a residency at the Room 5 Lounge in Los Angeles. She also actively volunteers at the Peapod Music and Arts Academy. Her music has been recognized by MTV
, the John Lennon Foundation, and topped online music charts like Thesixtyone
. Her debut album "Speak Love" was released August 18, 2009 by Origin Records
, produced by Chris Walden
.
Fortune was recently named one of Glamour Magazine's "Top 10 College Women of 2009".
In 2010 she joined forces with music producer/songwriter Alex Nahai (DJ Felli Fel, Daddy Yankee, Crash Moderns) to create the electro/pop band Two Tribes with an album currently in the works.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer/songwriter from Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
. Her musical style is categorized as crossover jazz
Crossover jazz
In the wake of fusion's decline in the mid-1970s, jazz artists who continued to seek wider audiences began incorporating a variety of popular sounds into their music, forming a group of accessible styles that became known as crossover jazz. Influential saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, drawing upon a long list of vintage and modern influences. She currently lives and performs in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Her voice is often compared to singers like Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
and Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
.
Career
Hailing from the small town of Bellingham, Washington, twenty year old Courtney Fortune began cultivating her musical niche and crossover style at an early age while performing at venues in Seattle. As her music blossomed she found a loyal and enthusiastic following in Japan and the UK, playing sold-out shows in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe and an array of clubs across London.After moving to Los Angeles she began collaborating with four-time Grammy nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden
Chris Walden
Chris Walden is a German composer, arranger, and conductor living in the U.S. He leads his own jazz big band, the Chris Walden Big Band, based in Los Angeles and was nominated four times for a Grammy award....
, chosen as the featured vocalist for The Chris Walden Big Band
Chris Walden Big Band
The Chris Walden Big Band is a Grammy-nominated 18-piece jazz big band based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1999 by German composer/arranger Chris Walden...
and lyricist for a number of pop, jazz, folk and electro projects. This year Courtney performed alongside Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
of A Prairie Home Companion for Chuckanut Radio Hour, and was awarded for outstanding musical achievement by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
at the 2008 Dickens Dinner where she performed for legendary songwriters Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Lamont Dozier
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Herbert Dozier is an American songwriter and record producer, born in Detroit, Michigan. Dozier has either co-written or produced several US Billboard #1 hits.-Career:...
. Courtney currently attends USC and holds a residency at the Room 5 Lounge in Los Angeles. She also actively volunteers at the Peapod Music and Arts Academy. Her music has been recognized by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, the John Lennon Foundation, and topped online music charts like Thesixtyone
Thesixtyone
thesixtyone is a streaming media website that uses collaborative filtering to organize, promote, and sell music uploaded by artists, many of whom are independent musicians. The site was founded by James Miao and Samuel Hsiung and received early investment from Paul Graham...
. Her debut album "Speak Love" was released August 18, 2009 by Origin Records
Origin records
Origin Records is a jazz record label based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1997. Originally started by Seattle drummer John Bishop, the label was conceived to help with the design, production, and distribution of jazz records made by his own groups as well as artists he's worked with over...
, produced by Chris Walden
Chris Walden
Chris Walden is a German composer, arranger, and conductor living in the U.S. He leads his own jazz big band, the Chris Walden Big Band, based in Los Angeles and was nominated four times for a Grammy award....
.
Fortune was recently named one of Glamour Magazine's "Top 10 College Women of 2009".
In 2010 she joined forces with music producer/songwriter Alex Nahai (DJ Felli Fel, Daddy Yankee, Crash Moderns) to create the electro/pop band Two Tribes with an album currently in the works.