Sandra Dudley

Biography

Jazz Vocalist, Sandra Dudley is a versatile singer that has entertained audiences for more than three decades.  An educator as well as performer, Sandra has been on the faculty at several universities including St. Francis Xavier University in Canada and University of Houston.   She has been Assistant Professor of Commercial Voice at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee since 1995 where she teaches commercial voice and seminars, jazz vocal styles, and graduate courses in commercial music and jazz.  She serves as commercial vocal coordinator in the voice department.  She was the director of Belmont’s Jazz Vocal Ensemble, “Jazzmin” from 1995-2008. She is a clinician nationwide for  commercial and jazz vocal events.  Many of her students are enjoying career success such as Melinda Doolittle and Rayvon Owens (American Idol finalists), Josiah Hawley (The Voice), Centricity recording artist Daniel Kirkley, Dove Award Winner, Jason Baird and many more. She is also on the emeritas faculty of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, a nationally recognized jazz school where she has taught a variety of jazz vocal courses and presented countless performances. 

Sandra has sung with many jazz ensembles including The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Jazz Orchestra of the Delta, the Tennessee Jazz Orchestra, the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, as well as the Nashville and Memphis Symphonies. She has performed with Fred Hersch, Marvin Stamm, Dave Catney, Bobby Militello, Barney Kessel, husband Bruce Dudley and many others.  Sandra has been has been heard on American Public Radio, National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and American Jazz Stations throughout her career.

Sandra was among the winners of the JAZZIZ Magazine’s Vocals on Fire Songwriting Competition with her original song, “Billie”, co-written by her husband, Bruce Dudley. This song appeared on a compilation project called, “The Voices of the New Jazz Generation”. She can be heard on the CD “Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter” with the Memphis based big band, “The Jazz Orchestra of the Delta”, directed by Dr. Jack Cooper on the Summit Label.  One of her most endearing moments in her career was when she was asked to sing an original composition written by friend and jazz pianist and composer, Dave Catney, on the album entitled, “Last Night When We Were Young:  The Ballad Album” produced by New York jazz pianist Fred Hersch and put out by Classical Action, a label based in New York for AIDs awareness and research funding. 

Sandra can be heard frequently in jazz clubs and in concerts throughout the United States.  Sandra is a member of Nashville’s premier jazz vocal quartet, “3^rd Coast Vocals”.  They released their debut CD in November, 2011.  The CD was recognized by the Nashville Scene as one of the best CDs of 2011.  Sandra’s most recent project was a tribute album to the lyricists, Alan and Marilyn Bergman called, “All Of My Life”, with friend and jazz pianist, Lori Mechem released on the Cognito Label. 

Over the past 10 years, Sandra has given lecture/performances on legendary jazz vocalists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan on the “Jazz on the Move” series at the Frist Museum of the Arts.  She recreated the infamous “Ella and Louie” recording of 1956 at NJO as part of the “Great Recordings Series” in 2019. Sandra is currently planning a new album project with husband/jazz pianist Bruce Dudley.