Annie Ross

Annie Ross

Annie Ross (1930–2020) is a jazz singer and actress from Mitcham, United Kingdom. She is best known as a member of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and she is one of the early performers of vocalese, the style of writing and singing original lyrics to an existing instrumental jazz solo.

Her 1952 version of Wardell Gray’s “Twisted” is a notable example of vocalese and is often identified as her best-known song. She records seven albums with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross between 1957 and 1962 before leaving the group in 1962.

In 1964, Ross opens her own London nightclub, Annie’s Room, where performances include appearances by Joe Williams, Stuff Smith, Blossom Dearie, Anita O’Day, Jon Hendricks and Erroll Garner, as well as Ross herself.

Alongside her singing career, Ross is also an actress and appears in films including Superman III, Throw Mama From The Train, Short Cuts, Blue Sky and Pump Up the Volume.