{"id":27291,"count":1,"description":"","link":"https:\/\/yoyaku.io\/es\/artist\/laverne-washington\/","name":"La'verne Washington","slug":"laverne-washington","taxonomy":"musicartist","meta":{"artist_discogs_id":2849745,"artist_discogs_url":"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/artist\/2849745-Laverne-Washington","artist_image_id":637092,"artist_real_name":"","artist_profile":"LaVerne has dedicated her life to the arts in every possible way. As an artist herself but also behind the scenes, helping and supporting her contemporaries fulfil their callings. Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Lou Williams - LaVerne grew up in Kansas City listening to the all time jazz greats, and soon discovered she was blessed with a keen sense for playing music by ear, playing the piano to what she would hear on the radio. In her teens whilst the 60s transitioned to the 70s\u2019 disco and funk era, LaVerne was there to witness it all, and she would go on to study music at the Charlie Parker Academy where she was inspired to become an entertainer.\r\n\r\nAt Langston University, LaVerne kept studying music where her career blossomed, founding and touring the US with the gospel group \u201cEmery Shaw and the Voices of Praise\u201d, singing in several college bands and with her choir \u201cThe Voices Of Bethel\u201d. LaVerne would go on to perform notably with her bands \u201cLaVerne Washington and Rococo\u201d and the \u201cLaVerne Washington Quartet\u201d, and record several songs in KC including \u201cThe Promise\u201d and \u201cI Found What I\u2019ve Been Searching For\u201d in 1984 before moving to Washington DC.\r\n\r\nIn DC, LaVerne was offered a position as a Program specialist with the National Endowment For The Arts where she started supporting other artists through her work. Over the next couple decades, LaVerne became an associate producer for the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Pioneer Awards Ceremonies held in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which saw the likes of Prince, Aretha Franklin and Jerry Butler attending among others. She has also managed and was mentored by DeeDee Sharp and consulted with artists including Bonnie Raitt (who acted as a mentor to Laverne as well), Kim Weston, Kathy Sledge (SisterSledge), Smokey Robinson and G.C Cameron (Spinners). During that time, LaVerne has kept singing, on her own and as a backing vocalist for DeeDee Sharp and Freda Payne and has never stopped her lifelong dedication to music and the Arts.","artist_country":"","artist_active_years":"","artist_website":"https:\/\/kansascitymag.com\/things-to-do\/arts-entertainment\/how-a-single-from-a-kansas-city-soul-artist-became-a-surprise-hit-in-europe\/","artist_instagram":"","artist_facebook":"","artist_bandcamp":"","artist_soundcloud":"","artist_spotify":"","artist_resident_advisor":"","artist_beatport":"","artist_youtube":"","artist_youtube_session":"","artist_chart_products":"","artist_chart_title":"","artist_chart_date":"","artist_instagram_curated":"","artist_email_curated":"","artist_bio_curated":"","artist_real_name_curated":"","artist_website_curated":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoyaku.io\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/musicartist\/27291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoyaku.io\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/musicartist"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoyaku.io\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/taxonomies\/musicartist"}],"wp:post_type":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoyaku.io\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?musicartist=27291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}