Berlin, Germany
When Kevyn Lettau was 14 years old her family relocated to the USA, settling in San Diego, California, where her father was professor of German Literature at the University of California. Within a few years she was singing and working around her new hometown, chiefly with guitarist Peter Sprague and drummer (and later husband) Mike Shapiro. Lettau’s repertoire included some jazz and R&B but her forte was for Brazilian music. Her ability in this form was such that caught the attention of Sergio Mendes and thus began an eight-year stint touring and recording with his band.
Lettau began releasing her own-name albums at the start of the 90s, recording for the JVC and Universal/Video Arts labels. She developed an especially strong following in the Philippines. In 2005, Lettau released Bye Bye Blackbird, an elegantly performed set of standards on which she was backed by her constant companion Shapiro, a string section, and Dory Caymmi, Russell Ferrante, Jerry Watts Jnr., and Paulinho Da Costa. Also in 2005, she appeared in concert in the Philippines with Lou Pardini and Joe Pizzulo, which was recorded live as Memories Of Love.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.