Joan began singing at the age of 4. She studied piano with Gerald Price and harp with Caliope Proios, in Philadelphia. In grammar school, she played tenor drum in the St. Clement Pope Marching and Maneuvering Band that won the State Championship, during her participation. Joan sang in the choir in elementary school and was a member of her high school glee club. She studied dance from the age of 4 to 8 with Bernice Johnson, wife of famed tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson. At Queens College, she studied dance with Nigerian dancer and drummer, Dinizulu, for two years. For 10 years, she taught Creative Dance to youngsters at community centers in Tampa and Deerfield Beach, FL, at The Gathering in San Francisco, CA and at Communiversity of LaSalle College, in Philadelphia, PA, where she completed her B.A. in Music and Communications. in 1984, Joan relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she sang in most of the venues for jazz and appeared in numerous jazz and blues festivals from Jupiter to Miami, Florida.

An explosive jazz and blues singer, composer and educator, Joan Cartwright performs with her band Jazz Hotline, in the U.S. for 30 years and in Europe since 1990. In 2006, she toured Japan and China, where she was the first American Jazz singer in the city of Tianjin.

BIOGRAPHY

Joan Cartwright has toured five continents and 15 countries including the U.S.A., eight European countries, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, China and Japan, with her swinging brand of jazz and blues. She's performed at the Blue Note in NYC and held long-term gigs at O'Hara's, Pier 66 and Christine's in Fort Lauderdale; Ellington's in Hollywood; Ellington's Jazz Bar on Sanibel Island, Jazid in South Beach, and Erny's in Delray Beach, Florida. In Europe, she performed at Harry's NY Bar (Montreux Palace) and Duke's Bar (Hyatt) in Montreux and Janus Club (Beau Rivage) in Lausanne, Switzerland; La Cova Del Drac and La Boite in Barcelona, Spain; CJW Club, Shanghai, and Brady's Pub, Tianjin, China. Diva JC names any ensemble of musicians she works with "Jazz Hotline" because the music swings and it's always HOT! Her most famous Blues are "Nobody's Husband", "OH, Baby!"  and "Treat Me Right And You Don't Have To Marry Me".

She is a composer and her book, IN PURSUIT OF A MELODY contains 40 songs and lyrics to standard songs: "A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Blue Bossa" by Kenny Dorham, "Tune Up" by Miles Davis and "Bessie's Blues" by John Coltrane.  Her song, "Sweet Return" was recorded by Freddie Hubbard and the Kool Jazz All-Stars of 1983, on Atlantic Records.

Joan's book also contains two lectures that she's given to over 8,000 children and college students, in U.S., Switzerland, Sicily, China and Japan: AMAZING MUSICWOMEN and SO, YOU WANT TO BE A SINGER?  (The Business of Music). Her interactive workshops are dynamic and educational, highlighting the pitfalls and benefits of the music business. She contends that, "Knowing music theory is a step in the right direction for any singer who truly wants to excel in the world of music!"

Joan is the founder of WOMEN IN JAZZ SOUTH FLORIDA, INC., a non-profit dedicated to promoting Women in Jazz, locally, nationally and globally, through contacts, articles, interviews, newsletters, events, courses, clinics, workshops, lectures, research, history, archives, websites, film, audio and video recording, concerts, performances and recognition.