Singing Guide: Evelyn Knight

Singing Guide: Evelyn Knight

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

Are you a beginner or advanced singer?

Evelyn Knight was a popular American Jazz singer in the 1940s and 1950s. She was known for her smooth and sultry voice that combined with a cheerful and lively attitude. Knight achieved a big breakthrough with her hit single "A Little Bird Told Me," which topped the U.S. charts in 1948.

Breathing

Breathing is an essential element of singing, and Evelyn Knight was known for her exquisite breath control. Exercises like breathing with the diaphragm, Farinelli breathing exercise, active, and passive breathing are some of the great techniques to develop better breathing control. To learn more about breathing, and how to practice it correctly, check out this article

Vocal Registers

Evelyn Knight had a great vocal range and could comfortably move through different registers of her voice. She used a technique called "vocal registration," in which a singer learns how to control the different areas of her voice. This technique helps people find their "chest voice" or "head voice," and how to move between them seamlessly. To learn more about vocal registration technique, check out this article, and this video.

Articulation

Articulation is the ability to pronounce words and syllables clearly and effectively while singing. Evelyn Knight had excellent articulation skills that helped her convey the message of her performance clearly. Exercises like singing with finger bite, Open mouth & throat techniques, and humming practice are excellent to improve articulation. To learn more about articulation, check out this article.

Vibrato

Vibrato is an effect produced in singing by the accordion-like relation of the vocal cords. Evelyn Knight was an expert in the use of vibrato technique adding more color and dynamics to her performances. To learn more about Vibrato, check out this video exercises on Beggars Bounce and Diaphragm Bounce.

With the above techniques in mind, we suggest the following steps to learn to sing like Evelyn Knight:

  1. Start with a vocal range test at Singing Carrots to determine your voice type and range.
  2. Watch this video on vocal registers to understand how to control transitions between registers.
  3. Practice this breathing exercise, and improve your breathing precision to sing longer phrases.
  4. Work on improving your articulation skills by practicing this tongue-twister exercise.
  5. Finally, listen to Evelyn Knight's songs and try to emulate her singing styling, vibrato, and articulation. Check out Singing Carrots search songs and artists to find music within your preferred vocal range and practice with songs, just like Evelyn Knight would have done to perfect her craft.

That’s it! By incorporating the techniques mentioned above and practicing consistently, you’ll be well on your way to learn how to sing like Evelyn Knight.

Learn more about this artist vocal range, voice type and repertoire.