she toured widely and became well known. She wrote many of her own songs and, unlike many other African-American artists of the period, retained the valuable publishing rights to them. In 1950, Lutcher duetted with Nat "King" Cole on "For You My Love" and "Can I Come in for a Second". The same year, her records began to be released in the UK and were actively promoted by radio DJ Jack Jackson. She headlined a UK variety tour, compered by Jackson, with great success, later returning there to tour on her own. With an orchestra for the first time, Lutcher recorded "The Birth of the Blues" and "I Want to Be Near You" in 1951, but she was losing her appeal with the record-buying public and Capitol dropped her the following year. She went on to record, much less successfully, for other labels including Okeh, Decca and Liberty, and gradually wound down her performance schedule. In 1952, Lutcher was contacted to perform on first a "happy new years" television special, however after she finished her song, it was revealed that she was on the set of, and the honoree of, a This Is Your Life episode. She died in Los Angeles in 2007, aged 94. She was the aunt of Latin jazz percussionist Darryl "Munyungo" Jackson and singer Jacquelyn Levy. References External links Nellie Lutcher performing on Today in 1956, from YouTube Biography from Earthlink.net Biography from Oldies.com Biography from Soul Walking Listing from Beauty in Music Article from All About Jazz (verifying 1912 birth year) Obituary from the Independent (UK) 1912 births 2007 deaths Capitol Records artists Deaths from pneumonia in California Musicians from Lake Charles, Louisiana American women jazz singers American jazz singers 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singers Singers from Louisiana 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from Louisiana 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women