AÃ«l T' ErÃ©go

My main pursuits are love , intimacy , truth , justice , liberation , creation , and the destruction of boundaries based on ignorance, insecurity and fear.

NINA SIMONE
"And now we are one Let my soul rest in peace At last it is done My soul has been released For thousands of years My soul has roamed the earth In search for you So that someday I could give birth ........."

CELIA CRUZ
"Y habia una isla rica eclava de una sonrisa soy de ayer soy carnaval pongo corazon y tierra mi sangre es de azucar negra es amor y es musica......"

ELLA FITZGERALD
"We might have been meant for each other To be or not to be, let our hearts discover I have a feeling, its a feeling Im concealing - I dont know why Its just a mental, incidental, sentimental - alibi But I adore you, so strong for you Why go on stalling, I am falling, love is calling - why be shy Lets fall in love........."

ETTA JAMES
"At last my love has come along my lonely days over and life is like a song Ooh At last the skies above are blue well my heart was wrapped up in clover the night I looked at you....."

DIANNE SCHUUR
"Let our hearts take wings' 'round midnight, midnight Let the angels sing, for your returning. Till our love is safe and sound. And old midnight comes around....."

MAHALIA JACKSON
"He's my light The man of Galilee And I know He's got his arm around me I'm glad to say That his love is ever true......"

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
"The look of love Is in your eyes The look your smile cant disguise The look of love Is saying so much more Than just words could ever say And what my heart has heard Well it takes my breath away ........."

PEGGY LEE
"I've got the world on a string I'm sitting on a rainbow Got the string around my finger What a world, what a life - I'm in love......"

CARMEN MCRAE
"In this world of over-rated pleasures Of under-rated treasures I'm so glad there is you I live to love, I love to live with you beside me This role so new, I'll muddle through with you to guide me ........."

BONNIE RAITT
A best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer, and accomplished songwriter. She has become an institution in American music. Devoted to playing benefits and speaking out in support of an array of worthy causes, including working for environmental protection and for the rights of women and Native Americans. She co-founded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and initiated the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, currently running in 200 clubs around the world, to encourage underprivileged youth to play music.

I'd like to meet:

You are cordially invited to meet a clean woman with a dirty mind and a loving heart . I invite all people who are intelligent, with a good sense of humor and self.

I am a woman who isn't afraid of taking charge and still being ALL WOMAN !!!!!!!

Sensuality and Sexuality are extensions of our Spiritually Divine selves.

I look forward to sharing my music with you in the near future. New grooves with a familiar twist.

DINAH WASHINGTON

"I've got a dentist who's over seven feet tall Yes I've got a dentist who's over seven feet tall Long John they call him, and he answers every call Well I went to Long John's office and told him the pain was killin' Yes I went to Long John's office and told him the pain was killin' He told me not to worry, that my cavity just needed fillin' He said "when I start drillin', I'll have to give you novocaine" He said, "Yes, when I start drillin', I'll have to give you novocaine Cause ev'ry woman just can't stand the pain" He took out his trusted drill And he told me to open wide He said he wouldn't hurt me But he'd fill my hole inside Long John, Long John, you've got that golden touch You thrill me when you drill me, and I need you very much When he got through, he said "Baby that will cost you ten" Yes when he got through, he said "Baby that will cost you ten Six months from now, come back and see me again" Say you're supposed to see your dentist 'Bout twice a year, that's right But I think I feel it bobbin' Yes I'll go back there tonight Long John, Long John, don't ever move away Say I hope I keep on achin' so I can see you every day....."

SHIRLEY HORN

"I wanna be loved with inspiration I wanna be loved starting tonight Instead of merely holding conversation Hold me tightI wanna be kissed until I tingle I wanna be kissed starting tonight Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle Wrong or rightI feel like acting my age I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving (be careful, be careful what you do) I'm in no mood to resist And I insist the world owes me a lovingI wanna be thrilled to desperation I wanna be thrilled starting tonight (love me, love me, love me) With every kind of wonderful sensation I wanna be lovedI feel like acting my age I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving I'm in no mood to resist And I insist the world owes me a lovingI wanna be thrilled to desperation I wanna be thrilled starting tonight With every kind of wonderful sensation I wanna be loved....."

ASTRUD GILBERTO

"If you're feeling sad and lonely There's a service I can render Tell the one who loves you only I can be so warm and tender Call me, don't be afraid, you can call me Maybe it's late, but just call me Tell me, and I'll be around ... When it seems your friends desert you There's somebody thinking of you I'm the one who'll never hurt you Maybe that's because I love you Call me, don't be afraid, you can call me Maybe it's late, but just call me Tell me, and I'll be around ... Now don't forget me 'Cause if you let me I will always stay by you You've got to trust me That's how it must be There's so much that I can do ... If you call I'll be right with you You and I should be together Take this love I long to give you I'll be at your side forever Call me, don't be afraid, you can call me Maybe it's late, but just call me Tell me and I'll be around ........."

NANCY WILSON

"In a sentimental mood I can see the stars come through my room While your loving attitude Is like a flame that lights the gloom On the wings of every kiss Drifts a melody so strange and sweet In this sentimental bliss You make my paradise complete Rose petals seem to fall It's all I could dream to call you mine My heart's a lighter thing Since you made this night a thing divine In a sentimental mood I'm within a world so heavenly For I never dreamt that you'd be loving sentimental me ....."

NINA SIMONE

"Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s'oublier Qui s'enfuit dÃ©jÃ Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Moi je t'offrirai Des perles de pluie Venues de pays OÃ¾ il ne pleut pas Je creuserai la terre Jusqu'aprÃ¨s ma mort Pour couvrir ton corps D'or et de lumiÃ¨re Je ferai un domaine OÃ¾ l'amour sera roi OÃ¾ l'amour sera loi OÃ¾ tu seras reine Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Je t'inventerai Des mots insensÃ©s Que tu comprendras Je te parlerai De ces amants-lÃ Qui ont vu deux fois Leurs coeurs s'embraser Je te raconterai L'histoire de ce roi Mort de n'avoir pas Pu te rencontrer Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas On a vu souvent Rejaillir le feu De l'ancien volcan Qu'on croyait trop vieux Il est paraÂ¡Â±t-il Des terres brulÃ©es Donnant plus de blÃ© Qu'un meilleur avril Et quand vient le soir Pour qu'un ciel flamboie Le rouge et le noir Ne s'Ã©pousent-ils pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Je ne vais plus pleurer Je ne vais plus parler Je me cacherai lÃ A te regarder Danser et sourire Et Ã t'Ã©couter Chanter et puis rire Laisse-moi devenir L'ombre de ton ombre L'ombre de ta main L'ombre de ton chien Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas......."

CARMEN MCRAE

"Speak low when you speak, love Our summer day withers away too soon, too soon Speak low when you speak, love Our moment is swift, like ships adrift, we're swept apart, too soon Speak low, darling, speak low Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near, tomorrow is here and always too soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, ev'rything ends too soon, too soon I wait, darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, speak love to me and soon......"

ARETHA FRANKLIN

"I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains If he wants them out of the way Crazy he calls me Sure, I'm crazy Crazy in love, I say I say I'll go through fire And I'll go through fire As he wants it, so it will be Crazy he calls me Sure, I'm crazy Crazy in love, you see Like the wind that shakes the bough He moves me with a smile The difficult I'll do right now The impossible will take a little while I say I'll care forever And I mean forever If I have to hold up the sky Crazy he calls me Sure, I'm crazy Crazy in love am I............"

AÃ«l T' ErÃ©go's Honorable Hep Cats & Kittens

Kids With Progeria

INSTRU ON
LIN

The Liberator! (Magazine & Compilation Series)

Hungry Artists Feed Hungry People

The Children of Colombia

WWW.PEACE.TV

Musicians Exchange

Help The Harp Seal

AÃ«l's Bodacious Bio-Rhythm Section

Body Count 1,427 and Rising!!!!

AÃ«l T' ErÃ©go's Muchos Fuegos Amigos

SantaNicoletta

Hawk Eye

Jewel The Gem

Wayne

SANGUEBOM

CHRISSETTE

Muy Lindo

Chaila Vasoy

"Meir"

El Karuna

P@Â§hÂª The Passionate

The Marquis de Beauregard

Maya Mi Angelita

The Swedesthearta

GoGo Fatale'

Kelly

Maria Mann

_Prakriti_ Maduro_

BB Ange
/
Mr. Kef

View AÃ«l's Alluring Allies
Take A Gander/Nip And Tuck All AÃ«l's Coy Comments

Music:

I have an affinity for Vintage Jazz, and I love Latin Jazz and Brazilian Jazz!!! There's nothing like live performances!!!

BILLIE HOLIDAY
"The very thought of you and I forget to do The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do Im living in a kind of daydream Im happy as a king And foolish though it may seem To me thats everything ........."

GLORIA LYNNE
"When I hear that serenade in blue I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you Sharing all the joys we used to know, many moons ago......."

NANCY WILSON
"Love is funny or it's sad Or it's quiet or it's mad It's a good thing or it's bad But beautiful Beautiful to take a chance and if you fall, you fall And I'm thinking I wouldn't mind at all....."

ARETHA FRANKLIN
"Unforgettable in every way And forever more, that's how you'll stay That's why, darling, it's incredible That someone so unforgettable Thinks that I am unforgettable too ........."

DINAH WASHINGTON
"Heaven sends a song through its doors Just as if it seems to know I'm exclusively yours Knowing this, I feel but one way You will understand, too, in these words that I say I'll close my eyes to everyone but you....."

SARAH VAUGHAN
"Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you Embrace me, you irreplaceable you Just one look at you My heart grew tipsy in me You and you alone Bring out the Gypsy in me I love all the many charms about you Above all, I want my arms about you........"

ABBEY LINCOLN
"And so when wise men say to me That love's young dream never comes true; To prove that even wise men can be wrong, I concentrate you......"

CHAKA KHAN
"I fell in love with you The first time I looked into...them there eyes Youve got a certain way, A cute way of flirtin with...them there eyes They make me feel so happy They make me feel so blue Im fallin, no stallin Fallin in a great big way for you"

ROSA PASSOS
"O amor pra judiar de mim Deu Ã flor um cheiro de jasmim De um punhado de areia branca Com lendas e conchas Fez prisÃ£o pro mar e a brilhar assim Tudo aqui parece dele vir Um ator, um retrato, o mato....."

ROBERTA FLACK
"The first time, ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and the stars Were the gifts you gave To the dark, and the endless skies My Love......"

GLADYS KNIGHT
"If I were you woman And you were my man You'd have no other woman You'd be weak as a lamb If you had the strenght To walk out that door My love would over rule my sense And I'd call you back for more........"

The music I create is playfully erotic with rounded edges so nobody gets hurt!!!

The distinction between erotica and pornography is difficult to identify, if not completely impossible. Proponents for erotic art argue that such work is intended to arouse aesthetic rather than erotic feelings, and is therefore not pornographic. Opponents see this as a pretentious stand, as they believe that erotic art shares the same purposes as pornography. Stephen Gilbert once remarked "The difference between erotica and pornography is simple. Erotica is what I like. Pornography is what you like, you pervert!" One common joke is that "the only difference between art and pornography is a government grant." Another is: "Erotica is when you use a feather. Pornography is when you use the whole chicken."

JULIE LONDON "Go slow, oooooh honey, take it easy on the curves; When love is slow, oooooh honey, what a tonic for my nerves. Go slow, oooooh honey, we've got such a lot of time; When love is slow, oooooh honey, how the mercury does climb......"

ASTRUD GILBERTO
"Lay down beside me, My love and close your eyes Let the magic sounds of ocean waves Open your mind to fly high, And far away Throw your troubles to the deep blue sea, And dream away, dream with me........."

KAY STARR
"Some others I've seen, might never be mean Might never be cross, or try to be boss But they wouldn't do For nobody else, gave me a thrill with all your faults, I love you still It had to be you, wonderful you It had to be you ........."

KEELEY SMITH
"I never knew the charm of spring I never met it face to face I never new my heart could sing I never missed a warm embrace Till april in Paris......................."

BESSIE SMITH
"Cuddle close, turn out the light, do just what you did last night It makes my love come down, I wanna be in town Sweet, sweet daddy, it makes my love come down......"

ANITA O'DAY
"Do nothing till you hear from me, at least consider our romance. If you should take the words of others you've heard, I haven't a chance......."

ROSEMARY CLOONEY
"Come on-a my house my house, IÂ´m gonna give you candy Come on-a my house, my house, IÂ´m gonna give a you Apple a plum and apricot-a too eh Come on-a my house, my house a come on Come on-a my house, my house a come on Come on-a my house, my house IÂ´m gonna give a you Figs and dates and grapes and cakes eh ........."

DIONNE WARWICK
"You see this girl, this girl's in love with you Yes I'm in love who looks at you the way I do When you smile I can tell it know each other very well....."

MARIA MULDAUR
"I know your Daddy's a sultan A nomad known to all With fifty girls to attend him, they all send him Jump at his beck and call But you won't need no harem, honey When I'm by your side And you won't need no camel, no no When I take you for a ride....."

TEENA MARIE
"On a starry winter night in Portugal Where the ocean kissed the southern shore There a dream I never thought would come to pass Came and went like time spent through and hourglass You made love to me like fire and rain Ooh, you know you've got to be a hurricane Killing me with kisses, oh, so subtly........."

SHIRLEY HORN
"Love me love me Love me Say you do Let me fly away With you For my love is like The wind And wild is the wind Give me more Than one caress Satisfy this Hungriness Let the wind Blow through your heart For wild is the wind You ........."

Movies:

I love movies, musicals, plays, dance,live theatre, cabarets, performance art, and burlesque (strip-tease is meant to be just that - a tease, not "the full monty"). Nothing beats live performances!!!
BARBARA STREISAND
"Isn't this the height of nonchalance, Furnishing a bed in restaurants? Well, a bit of dinner never hurt, But guess who is gonna be dessert? Do good girls do just what mama says, When mama's not around? It's a feeling, Oy vey, what a feeling........"
DOROTHY DANDRIDGE
"You do something to me, Something that simply mystifies me, Tell me, why should it be? You got the power to hypnotize me..... "
LIZA MINNELLI
"I've got ::cling cling:: fsssss steam heat. I've got ::cling cling:: fsssss steam heat. I've got ::cling cling:: fsssss steam heat. But i need your love to keep away the cold........."
ETHEL WATERS
"I'd make a million trips To his lips, If I were a bee, 'Cause they are sweeter Than any candy to me!.........."
LESLIE CARON
"Ooh baby Come to me baby just come to me don't breake my heart tonight, swinging my soul desire baby just come to me, be what you wanna be using your fantasy, I need your soul to see...."
JULIE ANDREWS
"I could have danced all night I could have danced all night And still have begged for more I could have spread my wings And done a thousand things I've never done before........."
CARMEN MIRANDA
"How would you like to spend a week-end in Havana, How would you like to see the Caribbean shore? Come on and run away over Sunday To where to view and the music is tropical; You'll hurry back to your office on Monday, But you won't be the same any more......."
PEARL BAILEY
"I Love You, I Love You. Three words that are divine. And now, my dear, I'm waiting to hear The words that make you mine......"
SHIRLEY MACLAINE
"Do you wanna have fun? How's about (fun) a few laughs? I can show you a...good time... Do you wanna have fun...fun...fun?....."
SHIRLEY BASSEY
"He fills my heart with very special things With angels' songs, with wild imaginings He fills my soul with so much love That anywhere I go, I'm never lonely With him along, who could be lonely I reach for his hand, it's always there........"
GYPSY ROSE LEE
"Let me entertain you Let me make you smile Let me do a few tricks Some old and some new tricks I'm very versatile....."
LENA HORNE
"Don't know why There's no sun up in the sky Stormy weather Since my man and I ain't together Keeps raining all the time......"
ANN MARGARET
"Mother Brought Me Up As a Good Little Girl and Mother Was Always Right She Said Respect Your Elders As You Should Little Girl It Pays to Be Polite Remember It Pays to Be Polite....."
JUDY GARLAND
"Smile though your heart is aching Smile, even though it's breaking When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by If you smile......"
DIANA ROSS
"If I should take a notion to jump into the ocean 'T ain't nobody's bizness if I do If I go to church on sunday then cabaret all day monday 'T ain't nobody's bizness if I do......"

Television:

I watch very little, but I love shows with strong, passionate, and intelligent women.
BLOSSOM DEARIE
"Next time you go on a trip, Remember this little tip: The minute you get back, They'll ask you this and that. You can describe people, places, and things. Simply unpack your adjectives. You can do it with adjectives. Tell 'em about it with adjectives. you can shout it with adjectives......."
EARTHA KITT
"If she didn't make you sigh Make you laugh and make you cry Taunt you till the day you die A woman wouldn't be a woman (No, a woman wouldn't be a woman) (But since the World began) If you didn't love 'em and want more of 'em A man wouldn't be a man......"
DINAH SHORE
"Skylark Have you anything to say to me? Won't you tell me where my love can be? Is there a meadow in the mist Where someone's waiting to be kissed? ........."
DELLA REESE
"Can't you see, I'm under your spell, By the look in my eyes, Can't you tell? Can't you tell?....."
DORIS DAY
"I'm a girl, and by me that's only great! I am proud that my silhouette is curvy, That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait With my hips kind of swivelly and swervy.I adore being dressed in something frilly When my date comes to get me at my place. Out I go with my Joe or John or Billy, Like a filly who is ready for the race! ....."
RITA MORENO
An Academy Award-winning actress and the first and only Puerto Rican actress in history (as well as one of only nine people) to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

Books:

I love books!!!! Fiction and Non-Fiction, especially Auto-
Biographies
and Biographies.
YMA SUMAC
Possessed of an amazing, full four octaves (and very comfortable in parts of a few others), Sumac ululated and grunted in the strangest combination of operatic style and abstraction. Her unique style was not quite vocalese, but words rarely cluttered her expressions.
LEONTYNE PRICE
One of the greatest and most versatile operatic singers in recent history. She sang an incredible variety of roles; from Wagnerian to light coloratura; from high soprano to mezzo. But it is not just the range of roles she was capable of singing, but how she sang them that makes her special. She had a distinctive vocal timbre which she could colour in a seemingly infinite number of manners. She could also act, a rarity with opera singers still today. She was a joy to listen to and watch. True her voice was flawed, but her artistry was unmatched.
MARIA CALLAS
One of the greatest and most versatile operatic singers in recent history. She sang an incredible variety of roles; from Wagnerian to light coloratura; from high soprano to mezzo. But it is not just the range of roles she was capable of singing, but how she sang them that makes her special. She had a distinctive vocal timbre which she could colour in a seemingly infinite number of manners. She could also act, a rarity with opera singers still today. She was a joy to listen to and watch. True her voice was flawed, but her artistry was unmatched.
Love books and read books. I write books too.
NIN ANAIS
AnaÃ¯s Nin is hailed by many critics as one of the finest examples of writers of female erotica. She was one of the first women to really explore the realm of erotic writing, and certainly the first prominent woman in modern Europe to write erotica. Before her, erotica written by women was virtually unheard of, except for a few writers such as Kate Chopin. "The entire mystery of pleasure in a womanâ€™s body lies in the intensity of the pulsation just before the orgasm. Sometimes it is slow, one-two-three, three palpitations which then project a fiery and icy liqueur through the body. If the palpitation is feeble, muted, the pleasure is like a gentler wave. The pocket seed of ecstasy bursts with more or less energy, when it is richest it touches every portion of the body, vibrating through every nerve and cell. If the palpitation is intense, the rhythm and beat of it is slower and the pleasure more lasting. Electric flesh-arrows, a second wave of pleasure falls over the first, a third which touches every nerve end, and now the third like an electric current traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm. There are times when a woman feels her body but lightly played on. Others when it reaches such a climax it seems it can never surpass. So many climaxes. Some caused by tenderness, some by desire, some by a word or an image seen during the day. There are times when the day itself demads a climax, days of which do not end in a climax, when the body is asleep or dreaming other dreams. There are days when the climax is not pleasure but pain, jealousy, terror, anxiety. And there are days when the climax takes place in creation, a white climax. Revolution is another climax. Sainthood another."
CAROLE KING
"When you're down in troubles And you need some love and care And nothing, nothing is going right Close your eyes and think of me And soon i will be there To brighten up even your darkest night......"
CHARO
Charo studied classical and flamenco guitar while residing in Murcia. As a result of her training and skill she has been named "Best Flamenco Guitarist" in Guitar Player Magazine's readers' poll twice. One of Charo's regrets is that because of her flamboyant stage presence, she has been overlooked as a guitar player.
JANIS JOPLIN
"In this world, if you read the papers, lord, You know everybody's fighting on with each other. You got no one you can count on, baby, Not even your own brother. So if someone comes along, He's gonna give you some love and affection I'd say get it while you can, yeah!......"
PATTI LABELLE
A Grammy winning R&B/soul singer. She is known for her strong vocals and her signature high octave vocal belting. Her belting range is considered to be one of the highest in music (Guinness Book of Records, April 2006). Her biography, Don't Block the Blessings, remained at the top of the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks. In addition, she is a bestselling cookbook author.
JONI MITCHELL
"My analyst told me That I was right out of my head The way he described it He said I'd be better dead than live I didn't listen to his jive I knew all along That he was all wrong And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not Oh no....."

Heroes:

I admire real people; especially down-to-earth humani-
tarians with their own unique style.
JOSEPHINE BAKER
"Je vous ai sous ma peau Je vous ai profondÃ©ment au coeur de moi Tellement profondÃ©ment Ã mon coeur Vous Ãªtes presque une partie de moi Je vous ai sous ma peau J'ai essayÃ© ainsi de ne pas donner dedans J'ai dit Ã me cette affaire N'allant jamais aller quelque part ......"
EDITH PIAF
"Non, rien de rien, Non, je ne regrette rien, Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait, Ni le mal, tout Ã§a m'est bien Ã©gal. Non, rien de rien, Non, je ne regrette rien, C'est payÃ©, balayÃ©, oubliÃ©, Je me fous du passÃ©......"
PATSY CLINE
"I go out walking after midnight Out in the moonlight just like we used to do I'm always walking after midnight searching for you I walk for miles along the highway Well that's just my way of saying I love you I'm always walking after midnight searching for you......"
MINNIE RIPPERTON
"We should be one inside each other You can see inside me Will you come inside me? Do you wanna ride inside my love?....."
CESARIA EVORA
"Dibaxo-di bo foguera BO cria nÃ´s desse manera KbÃ´ saia prete kbÃ´ lincim BÃ´ mostrÃ¡ nÃ´s okÃ© ke nÃ´s Oh mÃ£e oh mÃ£e Oh mÃ£e oh mÃ£e oh mÃ£e velha oih MÃ£e velha oih mÃ£e velha....."
DOLLY PARTON
""I flew off to the wild blue yonder 'Cause I had a dream And I had to go But I'm filled with a sense of wonder From the love I shared With a green-eyed boy....."
CARLY SIMON
"I get along without you very well Of course I do Except when the soft rains fall And drip from the leaves, then I recall The thrill of being sheltered in your arms Of course I do But I get along without you very well........."
EVA CASSIDY
An American vocalist described by the British newspaper The Guardian as "one of the greatest voices of her generation." She had a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop. Cassidy remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington, DC, when she died of melanoma in 1996. However, her posthumously released recordings have since sold in excess of four million copies, and in early 2001 the compilation album Songbird reached #1 on the UK album charts.