A talented jazz singer based in the Chicago area, Jackie Allen grew up in Milwaukee and Madison. Part of a very musical family, she played French horn early on in addition to showing talent as a singer. She attended the University of Wisconsin, where she learned a great deal about jazz; among her teachers was bassist Richard Davis. By 1987, she had moved back to Milwaukee, where for three years she sang regularly at the Wyndham Hotel while joined by organist Melvin Rhyne. In 1990, Allen moved to Chicago, where she has performed regularly as a singer who falls between jazz and cabaret. In the early '90s, Jackie Allen recorded Never Let Me Go, her debut album for the Lake Shore Jazz label; a long hiatus preceded the release of Which six years later. ~ Scott Yanow