Joyce Breach

Critics have characterized Joyce Breach's vocalizing in terms ranging from peachy to warm honey. Audiences across supper clubs from New York to San Francisco have been drawn to her live performances. While growing up, Breach absorbed the work of Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughan, Abbey Lincoln, and Frank Sinatra, absorbing their phrasing and inflections yet forging an indelible style that avoids imitation. Born in Alameda, CA, she was raised in Kansas City, MO, and after studying at West Virginia University she settled in Pittsburgh, PA. She established her reputation during the '80s and cultivated a devoted following in Steel Town before moving to the Big Apple, where she has earned greater acclaim from listeners and reviewers at several of Manhattan's leading clubs. Audiophile Records has captured her straightforward, unadorned vocals on numerous releases, beginning with the 1990 debut Confessions; her additional albums comprise Lovers After All (with Richard Rodney Bennett), Songbird, Nothing But Blue Skies, This Moment (with William Roy and John Loehrke), Reel Songs, and Love Is the Thing (with Roy), and she appears on Loonis McGlohon & Friends' A Christmas Memory. As a skilled songwriter, Breach frequently works with pianist/arranger Keith Ingham apart from her performances of pop's classiest classics, and Ingham regularly supports her New York-area engagements. Reviewers extending from Max Preeo to Rex Reed have praised the singer's qualities.