Marilyn Maye, Catherine Russell

Cabaret singer and musical theater actress Marilyn Maye began her fruitful career shortly after moving to Des Moines, Iowa from her hometown of Wichita. At the age 14, when she received a 15- minute radio show on KRNT, Maye was singing the works of famed songwriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. After moving to Kansas City, she caught the attention of Steve Allen, the legendary original host of The Tonight Show, who invited her onto his show a record breaking 76 times. Maye released her first album, Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye, in 1965 and was praised for her flawless vocal performance. In the next five consecutive years, she released six more albums with producer Joe Rene and spent most of her time between Kansas City and New York, where she continuously lit up the Copacabana and the Rainbow Grill night clubs. As supper-clubs and cabaret culture began to fade in the 1970s, Maye moved on to musical theater. Her music career was not revived until 2006, when she performed at the Rose Hall in the Lincoln Center. Maye's career is recognized by the most notable Jazz foundations in the US, including the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and The American Jazz Museum, who rightfully named her an Official Jazz Legend.