Dee Dee Bridgewater

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s celebrated jazz career began as lead vocalist with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in New York.

She went on to perform with many of the jazz greats, including Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon, winning two Grammy Awards.

Bridgewater has also proved her talent for acting, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in Broadway musical The Wiz. The musical also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

After moving to Paris, Bridgewater was the first American to be inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie and has also received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

She was appointed an FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 1999.

"I want to highlight the stories of hope from around the world,” she said. “Hunger is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of justice and solidarity.”

Bridgewater’s work has included visiting FAO projects in Senegal and Mali. Further, after recording the album Red Earth – A Malian Project, she donated part of proceeds from the subsequent tour to field projects in the country. She also took part in a concert in China to mark World Food Day.