Esperanza Spalding

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Esperanza Spalding

American musician

Written by Joan Hibler

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 11, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: October 18, 1984, Portland, Oregon, U.S. (age 40)

Awards And Honors:: Grammy Award for best new artist; Grammy Award (2010)

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Esperanza Spalding (born October 18, 1984, Portland, Oregon, U.S.) is an American bassist, singer, and composer whose precocious talent and musical adventurousness brought her considerable success both within and beyond the world of jazz. Spalding grew up in a multilingual multiethnic household (her single mother was of Welsh, Hispanic, and Native American descent, and her father was African American). Inspired by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, whom she saw perform on the children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, she taught herself to play the violin at an early age. By the time she was five, she had earned a place in the ...(100 of 554 words)

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