"The Club" was a group of female jazz singers that included Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Gloria Lynne, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee and Dakota Staton...

Del Shields, famed radio disc jockey wrote the liner notes for Jean DuShon's first CHESS album, "Make Way For Jean DuShon." The record was a big hit with the same jazz lovers who had welcomed Dakota Staton into "the club" in 1958.

Jean was gorgeous and married to a man with lots of money, so when she stepped onstage, she was dripping in diamonds and already had the clothes and mink coats that more established stars were working to attain. John Levy quipped, "she's already GOT everything, why should she work hard?" He was wrong. Jean DID work hard, especially after Levy left for Los Angeles with Nancy Wilson at his side. Jean's husband became her manager and they headed for New York City, where Jean fronted the Cootie Williams Band, then worked for a short time with Lloyd Price's group and was later asked to go on tour with none other than the legendary Fats Domino, ending up at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.

Her story is well-known, so I won't tell everything here. It should be known, however, that "For Once In My Life" was first recorded by none other than Jean DuShon. This was three years before Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett had hits on the song. Jean's record company simply "dropped the ball" and didn't promote the record.