Today, Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi announced For Dinah, a deeply personal tribute album to her lifelong hero, the legendary jazz and blues singer Dinah Washington, to be released on Oct. 3 via Candid Records. Produced by jazz heavyweight Christian McBride and Ledisi’s longtime producer Rex Rideout, the album blends Ledisi’s signature soul with Washington’s bold spirit, reclaiming space for a pioneer who made it possible for women like her to thrive. The album features standout collaborations, including a duet with Grammy-winning vocalist Gregory Porter and appearances by top-tier musicians like Paul Jackson Jr. and rising star Michael King.
Along with the announcement, Ledisi shared lead single “This Bitter Earth,” a soul-stirring interpretation of the haunting ballad made famous by Dinah Washington and written by Clyde Otis. With a beautifully contemporary arrangement by Ledisi and producer Christian McBride, the track captures the ache of loneliness and the fleeting nature of time, yet holds space for hope that life’s pain may still give way to grace. McBride added a hue of neo-soul to the arrangement, which allows Ledisi to effortlessly meld her musical worlds.
“This song is so reflective of any era,” says Ledisi about “This Bitter Earth.” “Especially in such a chaotic time as this. People need music right now and this song is a beautiful sentiment depicting a longing for life being filled with love. When I hear Dinah I hear that longing. It’s a perfect way to announce my tribute to The Queen of The Blues. Dinah, and Aretha, inspired me to want to sing this song. My version, arranged by the great Christian McBride, blends that longing, soulfulness of soul, jazz and blues together smoothly with a contemporary/classic sound. I’m grateful to create art that displays my love for being a hybrid of music.”
Like every triumphantly gifted female singer who has transcended barriers, Ledisi is a child of Dinah Washington. “She gave me permission to move freely, create freely, be a woman in leadership, wear and say what I want,” explains Ledisi.
Born in Alabama and raised in Chicago, Washington (1924-1963) was one of the 20th century’s most important and influential singers, whose sobriquets included both “Queen of the Blues” and “Queen of the Jukeboxes.” Her voice boasted a striking clarity alongside breathtaking soulfulness, and she prided herself on being able to sing anything: She was a brilliant interpreter of jazz and the blues, as well as an R&B and pop hitmaker. Among her most devoted disciples was a gospel singer from Detroit named Aretha Franklin. But where Franklin is a household name and cultural icon, Washington, despite being wildly popular in her heyday, is tragically overlooked by the general public. It’s a problem that Ledisi hopes to correct with For Dinah.
“Before there was Aretha, there was Dinah,” Ledisi says. “She deserves to be recognized in today’s music as well. So instead of asking me ‘Why Dinah?,’ you should be asking ‘Why not Dinah?’”
Born in New Orleans and shaped by the Bay Area, Ledisi has emerged as a leading voice in contemporary R&B. She’s earned a Grammy win, 14 nominations, and widespread acclaim for portraying her musical heroes on stage, record, and screen — including Mahalia Jackson in Selma and Remember Me. Her most recent Grammy nod was for Ledisi Sings Nina, a tribute praised by The New York Times for capturing both Nina Simone’s depth and Ledisi’s own stunning vocal range. As the critic Salamishah Tillet pointed out in their glowing profile, Ledisi Sings Nina lifts up “the diversity and depth of Simone’s musicianship and the breathtaking range and reach of Ledisi’s own voice.”
Ledisi describes her connection to Dinah Washington’s music as deeply personal, offering a space to fully embrace and express her femininity. “There’s a sensuality in this music,” she says, “in my fur, my curves, the tightness of my dress — and in how I move with the music.”
She was first drawn to Washington’s unmistakable attitude, a quality that made a major impression on her as a child, hearing her mother play Washington’s music around the house.
While studying jazz at UC Berkeley, Washington’s songs took on deeper meaning, becoming a well of inspiration and a guide for her own voice. “She was saying, I’m here; I belong,” Ledisi recalls.
Ledisi, an avid reader, dove into biographies like James Haskins’ Queen of the Blues, deepening her admiration for Dinah Washington’s fearless artistry and trailblazing career. “Before Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, and Etta James wore blonde wigs, it was Dinah,” she says, noting how Washington carved her own path and left a lasting legacy — even mentoring a young Quincy Jones.
Ultimately, For Dinah is Ledisi’s tribute to representation and resilience. She sees herself in Washington’s struggle for acceptance in a male-dominated industry, as a dark-skinned woman navigating similar challenges. “I felt her pain, her rejection,” Ledisi says. “This is where I come from — and this is my way of saying her name out loud.”
Ledisi is currently wrapping up a tour in Europe and is set to play a number of shows this fall in support of For Dinah including an album release show at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on October 3. See full list of tour dates below.
For Dinah Tracklist:
1. What A Difference A Day Made
2. If I Never Get To Heaven
3. Caravan
4. Let’s Do It
5. You Don’t Know What Love Is feat. Christian McBride
6. You’ve Got What It Takes feat. Gregory Porter
7. You Go To My Head feat. Paul Jackson Jr.
8. The Bitter Earth
