Rachael Price (born August 30, 1985) is an Australian-American jazz and blues singer, known for her work as the lead singer for the band Lake Street Dive. She was born in Sydney, Australia, and grew up in Tennessee, graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Seventh-day Adventist leader George McCready Price, the granddaughter of Hollywood actor John Shelton, and the daughter of composer and conductor Tom Price.[2]

Rachael Price
Background information
Born (1985-08-30) August 30, 1985 (age 39)
Sydney, Australia[1]
GenresJazz, blues, alternative rock, Americana
OccupationSinger
Years active2004–present
LabelsClaire Vision, Signature Sounds, Nonesuch

Early life and career

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Price was born in Australia and raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee. When she was nine, she performed with The Voices of Bahá, a Bahá’í choir directed by her dad, Tom Price.[3] At twelve, she was a soloist. The choir toured in India, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Australia. Price has said that she had a large personality as a child and accepted every opportunity to sing.[3]

 
Rachael Price at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2022

Price practices the Baháʼí Faith, and explains its influence on her musical career this way:

We believe that music is praise, and that is service, and service is prayer, and so that's how I think about it. ... I think music is an extremely spiritual art form. I do it for praise and gratitude. That's what the Faith has taught me about music.[3]

She was attracted to jazz at the age of five when she heard Ella Fitzgerald singing "The Lady is a Tramp". She recorded her first album when she was 17. She admires Bonnie Raitt and Nancy Wilson in part for their longevity in the music business.[4]

In 2003, Price received an honorable mention at the Montreux Jazz Festival's International Jazz Vocal Competition. In 2004, she was a semifinalist and the youngest competitor in the history of the Thelonious Monk Institute Vocal Competition. In August 2004 she made her U.S. jazz festival debut at Yale's Jazz On the Green, where she opened for Joshua Redman.[5] She won the 2006 Independent Music Award for Best Gospel Song with her recording of "My God, My Adored One" with the Boston Praise Collective.[6] She appeared in concert as a featured vocalist with the T. S. Monk Sextet.[7]

Lake Street Dive

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Price performs with Lake Street Dive, a band she started with Michael Calabrese, Bridget Kearney, and Mike (“McDuck”) Olson, who first met as students at the New England Conservatory of Music.

With help from an award by the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Lake Street Dive recorded In this episode..., their debut album in 2006. They started touring soon afterwards.[8][9] Nonesuch released the album Side Pony in February 2016.[10] Their previous album, Bad Self Portraits, was released in February 2014.[9]

Rachael & Vilray

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Rachael Price and the guitarist and singer Vilray also met as students at the New England Conservatory, in 2003.[11] Under the name Rachael & Vilray, the duo perform jazz, pop, and Tin Pan Alley songs from the 1930s and 1940s.[12] Nonesuch released their self-titled first album in 2019.[13]

Hot Tuna

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In 2015 Price toured with Hot Tuna on the Jefferson Airplane 50th Anniversary tour. She sang Grace Slick's parts.[14][15]

Personal life

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Price has been married to Canadian singer-songwriter Taylor Ashton since 2019.[16]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Dedicated to You (Claire Vision, 2003)
  • The Good Hours (Claire Vision, 2008)[17]
  • Rachael & Vilray (Nonesuch, 2019)
  • I Love a Love Song (Nonesuch, 2023)

With Rachael Price & The Tennessee Terraplanes

With Lake Street Dive

Video

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References

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  1. ^ Aitken, Scott (January 21, 2015). "Life After Winning Back The Right To Release Their Album". The Music. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  2. ^ Tom Lanham (21 August 2014). "Lake Street Dive Vocalist has a Wild Family History". Retrieved 26 Feb 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Rachael Price". Brilliant Star Magazine. November 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Rachael Price". AllAbout Jazz. November 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Jazz Singer Rachael Price". Retrieved 26 Feb 2018. In 2003, Price was tapped by the Grammy Foundation as a vocalist with the High School Grammy Jazz Choir, and she was a semi-finalist at the Montreux International Jazz Vocal Competition in France.
  6. ^ Independent Music Awards - 5th Annual Winners Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Oatman, Maddie (18 February 2013). "5 Female Vocalists to Watch in 2013". Mother Jones. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. ^ John, Emma (6 May 2014). "Lake Street Dive: On A Rocketship to Fame". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b Wall Street Journal, 22 Aug 2013 WSJ online
  10. ^ Nonesuch Journal, 12 Nov 2015 Nonesuch Journal
  11. ^ "Rachael & Vilray". Rachael and Vilray. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  12. ^ Aaron, Peter (1 January 2018). "An Interview with Rachael & Vilray". Chronogram Magazine. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  13. ^ Jones, Stephanie (12 February 2020). "Rachael Price and Vilray Seek Timelessness". DownBeat Magazine. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Hot Tuna Jefferson Airplane Rachael Price - Eskimo Blue Day, Lockn' Festival, 9/11/2015. YouTube.
  15. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: JORMA & JACK Celebrate 50 Years of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Greasy Heart @ Lockn' 2015. YouTube.
  16. ^ Bialas, Michael (10 March 2021). "Lake Street Dive High 5: Rachel Price, Bridget Kearney Bring "Letter" to Life for New Album". Popmatters. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Rachael Price | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
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