Terry Timmons

Terry Timmons was one of those vocalists of the late '40s and early 1950s whose work, like that of her musical role model, Dinah Washington, helped bridge the gap between big-band-style blues and the leaner R&B sounds that followed. She was born in Charleston, WV, in 1927, but the family moved to Ohio soon after, and she spent her childhood in Cleveland. She began singing professionally while still in her mid-teens, and while playing the Cafe Tio Juana she was spotted by no less a figure than Paul Gayten, who engaged her as a replacement for Annie Laurie, who had lately depart...