Biography: Born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar in New York City on March 30, 1979, she was destined for greatness right from the start. Her father was legendary Indian musician, Ravi Shankar , and her mother, Sue Jones, was a dancer whose love of music left its lasting impression on her gifted spirit. At the age of four, Norah moved with her mother to a Dallas suburb, where she grew into a woman, beautiful in ... show all Born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar in New York City on March 30, 1979, she was destined for greatness right from the start. Her father was legendary Indian musician, Ravi Shankar , and her mother, Sue Jones, was a dancer whose love of music left its lasting impression on her gifted spirit. At the age of four, Norah moved with her mother to a Dallas suburb, where she grew into a woman, beautiful in both form and character. She began singing in church choirs, learned to play the piano and guitar, and even briefly tried her hand at the alto saxophone. She attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas, and the University of North Texas, where she majored in jazz piano, and won Best Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996). At the age of sixteen - with her father's blessing - she officially shortened her name to Norah Jones, the name by which she is now known to her legion of fans. Captivated by New York's musical vivacity, Jones moved back to her city of birth in 1999 to embark on the life course that would lead to her great success. Jones began playing with numerous artists and bands including Wax Poetic and the Peter Malick Group, but it was by her collaboration with a group of her remarkably talented friends - Lee Alexander , Jesse Harris , Adam Levy , Kevin Breit, Daru Oda, Andrew Borger and others - that she would take the world by storm and carve her name into music history. Performing with her new band, Jones burst upon the pop music scene with her auspicious debut album, Come Away With Me, released by Blue Note Records in 2002. The album of original compositions - having sold almost 10 million copies in the U.S. and over 20 million worldwide - swept the Grammy Awards in 2003 and established her as the 'genuine article' - destined for a long and influential career. Two years later Jones followed up with Feels Like Home, another engaging and heartfelt album that, like her first, was the perfect blend of originals by Norah and other members of the band. Feels Like Home debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, eventually selling over 4 million units in the U.S. and over 10 million worldwide. Her third album, Not Too Late, was released in January, 2007 to both critical and public acclaim. According to Jones, it is her most personal album to date, having been written entirely by her and her bassist, songwriting partner and boyfriend, Lee Alexander . Further fleshing out her creative resume, Jones will star in acclaimed director Kar Wai Wong's "My Blueberry Nights (2007)", along with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Weisz. But despite this recent foray into the world of cinema, Jones insists that the movie was an interesting diversion only, and that music will always be her first love. Exquisitely beautiful and uniquely talented - yet free of the ostentation common to her trade - Norah Jones is a brilliant young star who worthily stands among the most widely adored entertainers of the new century. hide |
