The singer's most long-standing residency was in Wayne's Villa Strafford. In Philly, she has been a fixture at the Chestnut Hill Hotel, Zanzibar Blue, and Jamey’s House of Music.
“I tell them, ‘I come out to enjoy the music like y’all do. I buy my own food. I’m not here to entertain.’ They act like I never opened my mouth.”
Miss Justine — after living with her maiden name and two married names, she now prefers to forego last names altogether — was always a reluctant performer. She grew up in a musical household in North Philly, where her mother organized her three older siblings into a vocal trio known as The Davis Kids. The family home and its piano became a hub for local jazz musicians, who dropped in for regular jam sessions.
She continued to perform alongside, sustained by the encouragement of her peers and collaborators. “I was always surprised when I got calls to sing,” she said. “I never had a lot of confidence in me. But I was working with people that I really looked up to, and I was learning from them.” Even before her attempt at retirement, audiences were often reluctant to let Miss Justine leave the stage. At a concert at the Cape May Jazz Fest, when the organizers tried to end the show in compliance with local noise ordinances, an audience member stood up and started passing around his hat. “We’ll pay the fine,” he declared.
Staying close to home has allowed Miss Justine to give back to her community. She was one of the founding board members of Jazz Bridge, the Philly nonprofit that assists local musicians with financial, health, and housing needs. She also founded an organization called One Voice, a support network for singers. She helped AIDS patients with transportation to medical appointments in the 1980s and generated donations for school music programs.She also became a mentor for young vocalists.
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