Lillian Boutté
Lillian Theresa Boutté-l’Etienne (August 6, 1949 – May 23, 2025) was an American jazz and gospel singer.[1]
Biography
[edit]As a child, Boutté won a singing contest at age eleven. She later received a bachelor's degree in music therapy at Xavier University of Louisiana and worked as a session musician in New Orleans, performing as a backup singer with Allen Toussaint, James Booker, Patti LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Neville Brothers, and Dr. John. At Xavier, she sang in the Golden Voices Gospel Choir.
From 1979 to 1983 she toured internationally with the musical One Mo' Time.[1] She collaborated with the Olympia Brass Band on a gospel record in 1980 and recorded her first jazz album in 1982. During her tours of Europe, she began recording with groups in Norway and Denmark, and co-founded the ensemble Music Friends.[1]
She performed frequently in New Orleans in addition to touring regularly in Europe, performing with Humphrey Lyttelton,[1] the Barrelhouse Jazz Band, Chris Barber, Oscar Klein, Dirk Raufeisen, the Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne, and Pee Wee Ellis.
Boutté died on May 23, 2025, aged 75, following a lengthy battle with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.[2][3]
Personal life
[edit]She was the older sister of fellow jazz singer John Boutté, and was formerly married to the German musician Thomas L'Etienne.[4]
Discography
[edit]- Music Is My Life (Timeless, 1985)
- I Sing Because I'm Happy (Timeless, 1985)
- A Fine Romance with Thomas L'Etienne (GHB, 1987)
- Lillian with Humphrey Lyttelton (Calligraph, 1988)
- Lipstick Traces with Christian Willisohn (Blues Beacon, 1991)
- The Gospel Book (Blues Beacon, 1993)
- The Jazz Book (Blues Beacon, 1994)
- But...Beautiful (Dinosaur Entertainment, 1996)
- Come Together with Christian Willisohn (Art by Heart, 1997)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ LBJ (May 23, 2025). "Beloved New Orleans singer Lillian Boutte has died". WGNO. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "Lillian Boutté (1949-2025)". OffBeat. New Orleans, Louisiana. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ Spera, Keith (May 30, 2025). "Funeral set for Lillian Boutté-l'Etienne, the New Orleans jazz and gospel singer". NOLA.com. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- "Lillian Boutté". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld. ISBN 978-0312113575
External links
[edit]- Lillian Boutté at AllMusic
- Lillian Boutté discography at Discogs
- Lillian Boutté at IMDb
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- 1949 births
- 2025 deaths
- American jazz singers
- American women jazz singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- Jazz musicians from New Orleans
- 21st-century American women singers
- Xavier University of Louisiana alumni
- African-American Catholics
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Louisiana
- American jazz singer stubs