Dianne Reeves

Though today she’s known for carrying on the tradition of such jazz masters Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, it was a famed funk group that helped propel Denver resident Reeves to stardom. “When Earth Wind & Fire moved out to L.A. from Denver, they wanted to reach back into their communities and bring talent out there,” the diva tells host Joy Keys. “I didn’t know Philip Bailey then, I just knew who he was. But I knew friends of his, who told him, ‘You should get Dianne!’ So I ended up out in Los Angeles to start a group called Free Life that never got off the ground. But it got me to L.A.!”