Born in Newport News, Virginia, and a direct descendant of Crazy Horse, the Indian Sioux warrior, Joan Shaw began singing in church and school before making her debut on life's larger stages. As a very young teenager, her career began at Manhattan's legendary Harlem Apollo, when she won the amateur night singing "September Song". Salena grew up in New York in the company of musicians who would become the legends: Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Wes Montgomery, Chico Hamilton and Stan Getz - she actually sang and jammed with all of these people, and began making demonstration records for artists like Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee and Lena Horne, before getting her own recording contract. Based in New York, with her own "Blues Extra Orchestra", Joan Shaw toured widely across the US with "King" Curtis in her band (whom she named), also working with Johnnie Ray, Laverne Baker, Arthur Prysock, John Lee Hooker and Frankie Lyman. ...show more

Born in Newport News, Virginia, and a direct descendant of Crazy Horse, the Indian Sioux warrior, Joan Shaw began singing in church and school before making her debut on life's larger stages. As a very young teenager, her career began at Manhattan's legendary Harlem Apollo, when she won the amateur night singing "September Song". Salena grew up in New York in the company of musicians who would become the legends: Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Wes Montgomery, Chico Hamilton and Stan Getz - she actually sang and jammed with all of these people, and began making demonstration records for artists like Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee and Lena Horne, before getting her own recording contract. Based in New York, with her own "Blues Extra Orchestra", Joan Shaw toured widely across the US with "King" Curtis in her band (whom she named), also working with Johnnie Ray, Laverne Baker, Arthur Prysock, John Lee Hooker and Frankie Lyman.

Joan also knew Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie. Salena worked regularly at the famous venues of the Village Vanguard, Minton's Playhouse and Wells Supper Club. Leonard Feather, the noted jazz critic for "Downbeat" magazine, named Joan Shaw as one of the "most promising newcomers of 1964", together with "Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme". Glamorous and beautiful, with her distinctive voice and relaxed style, by then she had met and sung with a breathtaking array of great jazz names.

Her photo album shows her arm in arm with everyone from Betty Carter to Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstein, Vic Damone, Lena Horne, Lionel Hampton, Billy Daniels, Eddie Fisher, Billy May and Jimmy Durante. However, frustrated by the racism in her home country and wanting to expand her horizons, Joan Shaw bought a one way ticket to Madrid where, having sung one song at the "Whiskey and Jazz Club" she was immediately engaged to sing nightly with Dexter Gordon. But London called, and Joan Shaw arrived in 1965. Following the advice of her management, and name clash with a pop singer named Sandie Shaw, the name Salena Jones was born (a play on the names of Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne and her own name Joan. ...show less