Penny Goodwin
b. 1939
Ethel Penny Goodwin (vocalist) was born on June 3, 1939, and grew up on Walnut Street in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood, singing in church with Al Jarreau. She began performing at weddings, talent competitions, and bar mitzvahs, eventually becoming a regular at popular Milwaukee clubs such as Alfie’s, Sardino’s, and King’s IV. She also performed in the Crown Room (now Blu) of the Pfister Hotel, in clubs in Chicago, and at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
During the 1970s and '80s, she was one of the area's most well-known jazz performers. Her jazz-soul and funk album Portrait of a Gemini was released in 1974. It featured arrangements by Milwaukeean Ray Tabs, who played piano and organ on the record, with a large ensemble that included strings performed by members of the Chicago Symphony. The album was financed by Seymour Lefco, "Milwaukee's jazz dentist," who also contributed original compositions to the session. A jazz fan and supporter, Seymour was sought out by touring musicians such as Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, and George Shearing for his dental skills when they passed through town.
In the mid-1980s, Penny performed in Japan, Italy, and France, and in 1989, she sang at the Blue Note in New York City. From 1990 to 2012, she taught in the Milwaukee Public Schools while earning a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2006.
Listen to Penny sing the Seymour Lefco composition, "Today Is the First Day," from her album Portrait of a Gemini, released in 1974:
