Gwen Hughes is an Atlanta-based jazz vocalist and songwriter who loves bringing people together through music.
Her music melds fresh takes on jazz, soul and pop favorites, plus eclectic original songs. With her rich, warm voice and playful spirit, she creates performances that feel joyful, welcoming, and heartfelt.
The Buzz
Last night was so great and I’m so glad ya’ll were a part of it!!!! Ya’ll were awesome!
Thank you again for performing for us at The Carolina Assembly. The music was spectacular and we had a packed dance floor until the end thanks to your talents. You seamlessly transition from a traditional ball to the fun after party and help make our night special for the debutantes.
I have to be honest and I know I’ve told you this before – everything you send is so refreshing to listen to. Too cool.
Gwen truly loves what she does – MUSIC – and it shows. Gwen is flexible, resourceful, budget-conscious and very giving.
Ms. Hughes great knowledge of American standards and willingness to work with Mr. Viklicky on some Czech Moravian folk tunes improvisations was astonishing!
I consider myself lucky to have been introduced to Gwen years ago and to still have opportunities to work with her…
I am a GWEN fan.
She has a feline sense of assurance onstage and a voice full of humor.
She swings lightly from come-hither cabaret diva to serious pop interpreter to playful entertainer, indulging in liberating vocalese.
Gwen is one of those ‘chanteuses.’ That means she can really sing and attracts the best players in town to back her up.
Imagine if Tina Turner and Cassandra Wilson somehow combined genetic material… Gwen Hughes is an exciting talent.
Not only does Gwen Hughes have an exceptional voice by anybody’s standards, but she surpasses that magnificent gift with the manner in which she makes her terrific songs communicate.
Lively originals sit alongside cool covers, showcasing the expressive, emotive voice that has made Hughes a fan favorite all these years.
Reader’s Pick, Best Jazz Artist, multiple years.
A slick sophisticated sound aimed squarely at grownups.
Gwen is a true find, intelligent, sexy, sad, sultry, and she smiles all the way through it.
Whether she’s mimicking a trombone player with her scat singing or belting out blues or pop, Hughes’s music pours out of her voice and body, sometimes in such contortions that she looks and sounds like a possessed Janis Joplin. But there’s no way to pigeonhole her style, as she clearly is influenced by a disparate group of rock, soul, gospel and jazz musicians.
By opening her heart, we hear the melody of a radiant and inspired soul.
Gwen and her orchestra were fabulous last night at Putting on The Ritz at the Chattanooga Read House New Year’s Eve party. Fabulous dance music and always a joy to hear Gwen sing. What a great way to kick off 2019! Thank you Gwen and thank you Read House for bringing Gwen to Chattanooga. I hope more Chattanooga venues bring Gwen back here again….soon!
This is a wonderful album of 11 extremely well written, composed and performed songs that have left a deep impression on me.
Gwen does it again. She touches the soul while you’re tappin’ your toes…
To say that Gwen Hughes has a powerful voice is putting it mildly.
Gwen is an outstanding vocalist who truly makes any song her own.
Gwen is reminiscent of a young, big-throated Shelia Jordan.
Upright bass, hep-cat kind of stuff…a great make-out CD.
Seated at a side table with a crowd of rockers, I’m tickled to see that everyone’s watching with slack-jawed attention, the whole performance is genuinely breathing.