| Biography | Clare Teal (born 14 May 1973, Kildwick, Yorkshire) is an English jazz singer who has become famous not only for her singing, but also for having signed the biggest ever recording contract by a British jazz singer.
Teal was brought up in the Kildwick area of Yorkshire. She developed an interest in jazz from an early age, through her father's collection of 78rpm records, becoming "obsessed" with big band singers like Ella Fitzgerald and big bands like Joe Loss. She took music lessons (first on the electronic organ, then more formally on clarinet), before going to study music at Wolverhampton University.
Teal's break came when she was asked to stand in for Stacey Kent at a weekend festival in Llandrindod Wells. This led (after some determined self-promotion, in which she drew upon her advertising skills) to a three-album contract with the jazz-specialist label Candid Records. Her popularity soared, with appearances on radio and television bringing her to the attention of a wider public. This eventually led to her being signed by Sony in what was the biggest recording deal by any British jazz singer.
In live performances, Teal performs with a band led by pianist/music director Grant Windsor. While the majority of her recordings are standards, all her albums feature original songs or contemporary covers including post-swing material, most notably a cover of The Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreaming". This track attracted the attention of BBC Radio presenter Michael Parkinson, garnering significant publicity during her period with Candid Records.
Her 2004 album Don't Talk reached number one in the UK Jazz Chart (on Sony Records) and number twenty in the mainstream UK Albums Chart. In 2005 she won the award of British jazz vocalist of the year, and in 2006 the award of BBC jazz vocalist of the year.
Since 2005 Teal has been the presenter of the BBC Radio 2 show, Big Band Special, on a Monday night and regularly appears as a presenter on Friday Night is Music Night. Since 2 August 2009, she has also been presenting Sunday Night at 10, after former host Malcolm Laycock's decision to leave Radio 2.
In July 2013, Teal released her album "And So It Goes" featuring the song "Another Language" from Tim Rice's new musical From Here to Eternity |