DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And this morning we are remembering the singer Nancy Wilson who has died at the age of 81 years old.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WISH YOU LOVE")
NANCY WILSON: (Singing) I wish you bluebirds in the spring to give your heart...
GREENE: Wilson's career spanned over five decades. And in that time, she recorded more than 60 albums and won three Grammys.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Her music career kicked off after the saxophone player Cannonball Adderley encouraged her to move to New York City. She did. And soon after, she had a regular gig at a jazz club called the Blue Morocco. Wilson spoke about her craft with NPR in 1980.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
WILSON: I've always had a good feeling about singing. I've enjoyed singing because it's a gift. And I think you feel differently about your work when it is a gift.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OH! LOOK AT ME NOW")
WILSON: (Singing) I'm not the girl...
GREENE: Now, Nancy Wilson also had a career as an actress, also an activist and also a public radio host. She hosted NPR's jazz profiles from 1996 to 2005, but she always came back to singing.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
WILSON: I'm a standup singer who sings good material and who does great ballads, and that's what they want to hear.
GREENE: Nancy Wilson died at her home here in Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.