Joan Renee Cartwright (born December 7, 1947, in Kew Gardens, New York) is a Jazz and Blues singer, composer, author and educator. She has toured five continents and 15 countries including the United States, eight European countries, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, the People's Republic of China and Japan, with her swinging brand of jazz and blues. Composer and author of the book, In Pursuit Of a Melody, containing 40 songs and lyrics to standard songs: "A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Blue Bossa" by Kenny Dorham, "Tune Up" by Miles Davis and "Bessie's Blues" by John Coltrane. Artist-in-Residence for the 2007 Pan African Bookfest in South Florida, Joan teaches two lectures that she's given to over 5,000 children and college students, in the U.S., Switzerland, Sicily, China and Japan: Women in Jazz and So, You Want to be a Singer?. Her workshops are considered dynamic and educational, highlighting the pitfalls and benefits of the music business. She contends that, "Knowing music theory is a step in the right direction for any singer who truly wants to excel in the world of music!" Known as the "Hip Hop Mom of Atlanta", Joan performed "Jazz Meets Hip Hop" in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Italy, France and England. During her 30-year career, Joan has performed with Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Dorothy Donegan, Philly Joe Jones, Shirley Scott, Milt Hinton and hundreds of musicians in the U.S., Europe and Asia, where she toured with Li Yang Crazy English, in Beijing, in 2006.
