Shirley ran off to study music and art in New York City at 16, attending Jazz Mobile and earning an associate degree in music and art. She honed her craft at Birdland, the Green Street Café, and the Village Gate, working with musicians including Benny Green, Lance Bryant, and Lewis Nash — refining the scatting ability that became her trademark.
In the early 1990s she followed her muse to New Orleans, where photographer and jazz enthusiast Pat Jolly gave her a date at Snug Harbor. She hooked up with players like David Torkanowsky, Larry Sieberth, and Ellis Marsalis — who encouraged her to teach art in the public schools — and toured Europe and South America. The Times-Picayune declared hers "a voice that should be heard round the world."
Her honors include a 2007 Jazz All-Star nod from New Orleans Magazine, a Big Easy Best Jazz Vocalist award, and a Duke Ellington Concerts Award. Her records as a leader include Unveiled (1995), Betty Shirley Sings with the Chuck Chaplin Trio (2002), Close Your Eyes (2007), With the Red Organ Trio (2020), and SuMayy (2025). She performs regularly at Snug Harbor with the Will Thompson Trio — Will Thompson on piano, Quinn Sternberg on bass, Simon Lott on drums.
her range and command of the stage make Shirley's a voice that should be heard round the world.
Times-Picayune, quoted on bettyshirley.com
