Draft:Sally London

Sally London (born in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian jazz and blues singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist, she also plays piano, guitar, ukulele, drums and keytar. She has recorded four studio albums, two compilation albums and eleven singles. Since November 2018, she has presented a weekly jazz music show on Eastside Radio, FM89.7, which streams on https://eastsidefm.org/jamminthursday/.

Early life

London was born in Manly, Sydney and was brought up on the northern beaches of Sydney in Long Reef in a musical household where her father was a professional jazz bassist.

London studied classical piano (AMEB) from the age of 4 and was a piano teacher during her years studying law at university. From age 5 until leaving high school she also studied classical ballet, tap dancing, character dancing, opera singing and speech and drama with the Trinity College.

London attended the selective state school, North Sydney Girls High School, after which she studied law (LPAB) and a master of laws at Sydney University.

Career

After a decade practising law at Australian Tier 1 law firm, King & Wood Mallesons, London had a daughter and during maternity leave recorded her first jazz standards album, "Little Evil Me", produced by Steve Clisby, which was released in 2007 and commenced performing live professionally.

Two years later London recorded her second jazz standards album "One Bite At The Cherry" which was released by Australian label Newmarket Music and featured in ABC's Limelight magazine.

"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" from the One Bite At The Cherry album was signed and released by EMI in November 2010 in Europe and featured on a compilation album "Coupe De Peigne" alongside London's idols Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Eartha Kitt, Nancy Wilson and Dean Martin, celebrating the life of Greek celebrity hair and makeup stylist Panos Kalitsis. The song charted on the Greece and Cyprus Jazz Music Charts in 2010.

London penned an originals pop album "The Scorpion Maid" in 2011 which was produced by Gerard Masters.

2022 saw London return back to her jazz roots writing and releasing an originals big band jazz album "Red Velvet Glove" which was produced by her long time music mentor Adrian Cunningham and recorded in New York.

London has played at many large music festivals and venues, including as a return guest artist at Birdland's "Cast Party" in New York, a headline act twice at the Tangier International Jazz Festival in Morocco (2009 and 2015), a three month residency at the Venetian and Sands Casinos in Macau, the Sydney Multicultural Festival, Dubbo Jazz Festival, a four year residency at Opera Bar at Sydney's Opera House, the Marble Bar at Sydney's Hilton Hotel, a seven year residency at Castle Hill RSL, the Every Woman Festival celebrating International Women's Day, River Rhythms Concert Series at Sydney Olympic Park, Transformal at the Carrington Hotel Ballroom (Blue Mountains) to celebrate gender diversity, Kings Cross Festival, Newcastle Jazz Festival , the Gold Coast Jazz and Blues Club and Sydney's iconic jazz music venues including Foundry616, Low302, The Basement, Wine Banq, Manly Fig and the Vanguard.

London has appeared on numerous television commercials and shows including Australia's Next Top Model, MTV's "Bring Back the 80s promo", Rake, Home and Away, Smiths Chips TVC (with Steven Currie), Commonwealth Bank TVC, Don't Tell The Bride and Beauty and the Geek.

Awards

London’s compositions were finalists in the Music Oz 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards, the 2013 International Song Of The Year contest, the 2010 and 2012 Australian Songwriting Competition, the 2010 Great American Song Contest and were featured in 2013 on the Qantas in-flight Radio playlist. "Lexi" was second place in the 2011 Great American Song Contest. "Love Tequila" was ranked number 2 and "Hardest Mistakes” ranked number 5 on the Indie Singles charts in December 2012 by the major radio platform in the USA and Canada.

In 2016, an album cover of London, photographed by Australian celebrity rock photographer Tony Mott, was exhibited around Australia, in his "What a Life!" exhibition showcasing rock 'n roll life on stage and behind the scenes over his 30 year career as tour photographer for acts including the Rolling Stones, the Divinyls and Queen.

Official website: www.sallylondon.com.au