(Atlanta, GA – January 17, 2022) – Contemporary flute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside is nominated for a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album (Instrumental) for her sixth career album, Thrill Ride. This year’s NAACP Image Award is set to take on Saturday, February 25th at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, and will air live at 8:00 p.m. ET on BET.
Longtime collaborators Dennis Johnson and Bob Baldwin produced the album, Thrill Ride, along with producers Chris “Big Dog” Davis and James Lloyd of the veteran group, Pieces Of A Dream.
On the heels of her NAACP Image Award nomination, Whiteside will release her third and upcoming single, “Full Court Press,” a smooth and sexy groove composed by Whiteside, Johnson, and Baldwin, who produced, and featured guitarist Phil Hamilton, percussionist Curtis McCain, and drummer Rich Harrison, also known as the artist RAH. The single will impact radio on January 30th. To listen to the single click here.
A classically trained flutist, Whiteside capped off a stellar year with her No. 1 top-charting single, “Thrill Ride” on five Jazz Radio charts including the Billboard Smooth Jazz (14 weeks), Mediabase, the Smooth Jazz Network, Radiowave and Groove Jazz Music radio charts (15 weeks) on the chart, making it her second No. 1 single as a solo artist.
Just off a win for Best Contemporary Artist for the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, Whiteside shares her excitement. “I was shocked to learn of my Image Awards nomination. The NAACP carries an enduring legacy of continuing to fight for civil rights and the rights of people of color, and has been a consistent presence throughout my life.”
A radio host for the NPR-affiliated station, Jazz 91.9 WCLK in Atlanta, Georgia, Whiteside’s weekend four-hour show, “Saturday with Ragan Whiteside” runs from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET and remains the No. 1 Saturday show on the station. The broadcast is also the No. 2 show behind the gospel show, “Joy In The Morning,” hosted by market veteran Rodney Evans.
Whiteside’s streak of hit records also includes Kim Scott’s 2022 remake of Ashford & Simpson’s 1978 mega-hit, “I’m Every Woman” along with Althea Rene, which also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart. Her previous Billboard Top 10 singles included “JJ’s Strut,” “Reminiscing,” “Jam It,” “Early Arrival,” “See You At The Get Down,” and “Off the Cuff,” also featured on her current album, and her Billboard No. 1 single, “Corey’s Bop.”