Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers 1994

Christine Flowers (Cape Fear, North Carolina, 1 July 1960) is an American singer/actor. Her musical repertoire consists of verve-like jazz standards.

Early life

Christine Flowers was born in Cape Fear, North Carolina on July 1, 1960. The daughter of Margaret Flowers (née Valentine) an air stewardess for TWA and Shirley Dean Flowers, a captain in the U.S. airforce. She is of European and Native American descent. Her mother was of Scottish descent and her father half Cherokee. Growing up in the south, more precisely Georgia, Christine was privy to a deep wealth of musical references. She participated in the Sunday morning services at Big Bethal and Ebenezer Baptist churches in southwest Atlanta where gospel riveted through her adolescent bones.Her classmates were the children and relatives of the more prolific figures and leaders of the Civil Rights movement of that era (Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy and Hosea Williams). She was also very much influenced by the rich Rhythm & Blues/ Soul scene of the day through her classmates whose immediate family members where the likes of Gladys Knight & The Pips and Diane Carroll. It was with these influences she started her journey with music and at 16 landed her first professional gig in Nashville, Tennessee. She gained her professional experience doing numerous ensemble shows, fronting funk and groove bands and doing studio background vocals for country artists such as Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette and Charlie Rich.

Move to Europe

Flowers moved to Paris, France, in 1982. She once again started singing in local jazz clubs such as the Hollywood Savoy, Petit Journal and Memphis Melody . She then moved to the south of France where she continued performing with local musicians in various festivals opening for headliners such as John McLaughlin, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Calvin Russell. During this period, she studied music at the I.M.F.P. in Salon de Provence. She recorded her first album of original compositions with her then quartet by the same name, ‘Colors & Light’ in Montpellier, France in 1994.

Recent years

Christine Flowers Portrait 2008

Flowers returned to Paris in the mid-nineties to perform at the ‘Lucky Nugget Saloon’ at Disneyland Paris where she played the leading role of Miss Diamond Lil. ». In 1998 she started a career in voice-over and cartoon work. She is the english speaking ‘voice’ for Air France and Skyteam and has also taken over Jane Fonda’s voice for the L’Oreàl Age Reperfect Repair campaign in both English and in French. Her character voice work can be heard bringing Mimi and Miss Brigitte alive in the cartoon series « Eliot Kid » as well as Sissy in « Code Lyoko ». Parallel to this, she continued singing in Parisian Clubs (Sunside Jazz Club, Autour de Midi, Franc Pinot, 7 Lézards, Hot Brass) with her jazz trio composed of Jobic Le Masson, Peter Giron and John Betsch. In 2007, she collaborated on 2 songs as vocalist by the popular electro jazz/lounge group « Sofa Attitiude » for their debut album « Urban Love ». In 2009 she began recording her second album, ‘In A New Mood… a tribute to Oscar Brown Jr.’ at Sextan Recording Studio in Paris, France under the musical direction of Peter Giron.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Year	Studio	City
Colors & Light	1994	Studio de la Loge	Montpellier
Urban Love	2007	Sofa Attitude	Paris
In A New Mood	2010	Studio Sextan	Paris

Soundtracks

Title	Director	Release Date
Yes, But...	Yves Lavandier	2001

External links

• Official website

References

1. Jerome Gransac (2005 Dec.) Christine Flowers- « A Friendly Moment »

• http://www.citizenjazz.com/A-Friendly-Moment.html

2. Philippe Carles (2010 Oct.) « Flowers pour un Oscar »

• http://www.jazzmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=50&func=view&id=1917&catid=14#1917

3. Philippe Carles ( 2010 May) « Flowers For Another Mood »

• http://www.jazzmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=50&func=view&id=1658&catid=14#1658

4. Natalie Guez (1994 Sept.) Christine Flowers «  Sorceress of the Blues »

• http ;//www.mairieclairemagazine.com