Bertha Hope

Bertha Hope's abilities as a pianist remained largely unrecognized despite her having cut three duet sides alongside spouse Elmo Hope back in 1961; recognition arrived with the appearance of her 1992 album Between Two Kings on Minor Music. California was where she spent her childhood, beginning classical piano lessons at the age of three before discovering jazz via Bud Powell and performing with a trio in Los Angeles venues during the latter part of the 1950s. Her marriage to Elmo Hope, which began in 1960 and lasted until his passing in 1967, led her to set aside her professional ambitions, which stayed dormant until her return to activity in the early 1990s.