Dynamic

Dakota Staton (pronounced STAY-ton) was born in Pittsburgh on June 3, 1930. She grew up in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh. John Levy and Dave Cavenaugh convinced Dakota to record a jazz album. To arrange and conduct Dave bought in Van Alexander, who had arranged Ella Fitzgerald’s signature song "A-Tisket, A-Tasket". The orchestra included Jazz Hall of Fame trumpeter Jonah Jones and pianist Hank Jones who had accompanied Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker. Dakota’s first album “The Late, Late Show” was released in 1957. The title track “The Late, Late Show” quickly rose to heavy airplay on jazz stations and crossed over to Pop radio stations. The single was her biggest hit and the album reached number 4 on the Billboard Top 100. The album is considered a jazz classic with its memorable versions of the songs "Broadway," "A Foggy Day," "What Do You See in Her," "My Funny Valentine" and "Mooney". Dakota, at age 25, was suddenly one of the hottest stars in the country.