Remembering Wesla Whitfield
September 15, 1947 – February 9, 2018
February 10, 2018
The cabaret world has lost yet another of its bright lights with the passing of Wesla Whitfield on Friday, February 9, 2018 at her home in St. Helena’s, California. She was 70 years old. Her husband, jazz pianist Mike Greensill, who served as her music director, reported the cause of death was from complications due to bladder cancer.
Wesla dedicated her life to performing the Great American Songbook, breathing new life into well-known standards. She was a staple in the Bay Area, and traveled all over the country, in spite of being paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. The victim of an accidental gunshot wound, she nevertheless prevailed, establishing herself as a premiere interpreter of the Songbook.
Cabaret Scenes profiled Wesla twice: the first time in November 1996, written by Peter Leavy; the second time in April 2010, written by Steve Murray. We reprint each of the pieces here.
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