Those who were active in the cabaret community in the 1980s will remember Nancy LaMott a popular and gifted singer who died too young at age 43. She was a powerful singer, known for beautiful interpretations of the Great American Songbook, capable of projecting from the stage, as well as toning down to the intimacy of cabaret. In her late teens she developed Crohn’s disease, causing her to often work around medical treatments; but it was a diagnosis of uterine cancer that was the cause of her death on December 13, 1995.
LaMott was born in 1951 in Midland, Michigan, where in 1966 she began publicly singing with her father, trumpeter Jack LaMott’s big band. At age 19, she and her brother Brett, a drummer, moved to San Francisco, CA where LaMott quickly established herself in cabaret circles. Her rising popularity motivated her to move to New York City. In the early 1980s she was hired by Erv Raible and Rob Hoskins as a headliner for their West Village Cabaret, The Duplex. She soon came to the attention of disc jockey Jonathan Schwartz, from whom she received support and promotion that led to significant radio airplay. In 1989 she met composer/conductor David Friedman, who produced her debut album, Beautiful Baby. LaMott also began a significant musical partnership with pianist/arranger Chris Marlowe. During her career she also performed with such notable musicians as Jay Leonhart, Mike Migliore, Glenn Drewes, Ken Sebesky, Rick Jensen, Bruce Samuels and John Redsecker, among others. Along with Karen Mason, she was the first singer to have a continuous long run at Don’t Tell Mama.
Ileostomy surgery helped improve her health significantly and allowed her to tour. Consequently, her fame grew. She made regular television appearances with Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford and performed at the White House twice, becoming a favorite of President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was championed by the legendary singer Margaret Whiting. In March of 1995, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, tried hormone therapy (as opposed to surgery) and completed the album Listen to My Heart with a full orchestra directed by Peter Matz. Six months later, her unimproved condition called for surgery and chemotherapy. She soldiered on, performing a sold-out week at Tavern on the Green as well as fulfilling concert dates around the country. But suddenly, after a nighttime television talk show hosted by Charles Grodin, LaMott was rushed to the hospital, shockingly on the brink of death. In the last hour of her life, LaMott married boyfriend Peter Zapp in a bedside wedding ceremony at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. Estate issues followed, finally resolved a decade later. The result was the reissue of her six albums, as well as videos of live performances and interviews.
Listen to a sample of Nancy LaMott’s artistry:
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