singer songwriter jazz musician
Feather was born in Manhattan to jazz writer Leonard Feather and his wife, Jane, a former big band singer. Feather"s parents named her Billie Jane Lee Lorraine for her godmother Billie Holiday, for her mother (Jane), Jane"s friend, singer Peggy Lee, and for the song "Sweet Lorraine".
She began working in television as a lyricist in 1992 and has received seven Emmy nominations. Her lyrics for children include Disney’s Dinosaurs series on American Broadcasting Company and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Babes In Toyland and An All Dogs Christmas. Feather and composer Mark Watters wrote the themes for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s television shows All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Lionhearts.
They also created the piece “Faster, Higher, Stronger” for Jessye Norman to sing in the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics.
Feather and composer Larry Grossman wrote the song that Julie Andrews performed in The Princess Diaries 2. Feather has also created lyrics for Disney’s feature film The Jungle Book 2 (with Australian jazz musician Paul Grabowsky), and for Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween, the Public Broadcasting Service series Make Way for Noddy, and the Candy Land and My Little Pony films for Hasbro Toys.
Feather"s work has been heard on numerous records, in films and on television Her songs have been covered extensively by artists such as Phyllis Hyman, Kenny Rankin, Patti Austin, Diane Schuur and Cleo Laine.
Many of her own solo CDs have featured contemporary lyrics to formerly instrumental pieces written by Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and other pre-bop composers.
Feather’s recordings have received glowing reviews in every major jazz magazine. Down Beat has called her work “deliciously savvy”. Jazz Times referred to her as “a lyrical Dorothy Parker” and her lyrical reinventions as “pure genius”.
Feather has released 12 albums, three in the 1980s with the vocal trio Full Swing.
The albums she has done since 2001 have received the widest radio airplay and most press Two of these were Fats Waller and Duke Ellington projects with her added lyrics.
More recently, her CDs have featured original compositions written with such jazz composers as Eddie Arkin, Shelly Berg and Russell Ferrante. Feather"s 2010 release, Ages, received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album, as did 2012"s Tales of the Unusual, nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the tune "Out There," arranged by Shelly Berg.
