ENTERTAINER * SONGWRITER * ACTOR * PRODUCER * EDUCATOR

Shelley Fisher was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He moved to Chicago at the age of ten years old and grew up on the city’s West side. Fisher began his musical career by studying Theory, Composition and Vocal Technique with James L. Mack in the Chicago City Junior College System and at The Chicago Conservatory of Music at Roosevelt University. ‘Open mike’ or ‘Jam Sessions’, on Monday nights in the clubs on the City’s South and West sides, offered the young hopeful a chance to sing one or two songs and maybe more if the audience ordered another round of drinks. After a while, Shelley developed quite an eclectic repertoire and a solid reputation and began to find steady work. He sang in the “Blues’ clubs on the South side and the nouveaux jazz clubs up on North Rush Street and the Old Town. He performed on the local Chicago television shows that presented popular Jazz & Blues Artists and was the featured vocalist with the Morris Ellis Orchestra for several years.

His first real professional stage opportunity came as a principal in Oscar Brown Jr’s musical production “Summer In The City” in 1966. Each night of the three month run, Shelley was a "show stopper" when he sang “Elegy” (To A Plain Black Boy). When the show closed, he released the song on his Aries records label. The single gave him national exposure and led to him opening a revue that closed with Stevie Wonder at the Regal Theater in Chicago. Since that time has shared billing and/or recorded with other world renown artists such as the original group Earth, Wind & Fire, The Dells, Eartha Kitt and B.B. King.

Shelley Fisher arrived in Los Angeles, CA in 1970 and soon found steady work playing piano and singing for the “Jet Set” in the piano-bars in Beverly Hills and ‘The Sportsmen's Lodge’, Sherman Oaks. It was around this time his song-writing abilities began to get notice. “Girl, I Love You”, launched the career of Chicago R&B legend Garland Green and was the first ‘Rhythm & Blues’ single released on MCA’s Uni-Revue records. “Yesterday’s Dreams” was recorded by Lou Rawls, “Plainsville, U.S.A.” with Jimmy Randolph and his production of “Give It Up” (Ain’t No Future in Drug Abuse) are some of the titles in Fisher’s discography.

When he wasn’t working as an musician he auditioned for acting parts. He landed a costarring role in the comedy motion picture “Calliope” made for theaters. A Los Angeles Times film critic wrote “Only Fisher rise above his material......”. Shelley wrote and performed the original music (“Lonesome Traveler” & “Ulla’s Song”) for the motion picture ”Kauas Pilvet Karkaavat” (“Drifting Clouds”), written and directed by Finnish producer Aki Kaurismaki. The film won second prize at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, Mr. Fisher played Dr. Conrad Murray in the Michael Jackson Episode of VH1 Television series “Famous Crime Scene Investigations”.

In 1977, Shelley returned to his hometown Chicago and the infamous neighborhood Cabrini-Green as Artist in Residence’, where he taught the ‘Blues’ as a cultural heritage in two Chicago’s Public Schools, assisted by blues harmonica player Billy Branch. The program of his design was funded by the Illinois Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The program proved successful and continues to be funded, benefiting the Community and other Blues Artists as well.

From 1978 through 1999 Fisher lived and entertained abroad namely in Osaka, Japan,Vancouver, B.C. Canada, and Oslo, Norway. In 1997 he wrote, arranged and produced “CELEBRATION”, A Tribute to Nat “King” Cole. The Las Vegas type show, produced at NRK TV (Norwegian TV) toured from Scandinavia to Spain earning high praises throughout the European Union, including Poland and Switzerland.

Since 2000, Shelley Fisher has made his home in Las Vegas, NV. He headlined in the ‘Baccarat Lounge’ at the MGM/Mirage Resorts & Casino for three years (2002 - June, 2005). He broke two attendance records in 2007 with performances in Den Hague, Holland and at ‘Puntaldia’, an Music Festival on the romantic Island of Sardegna, Italy. In November, 2009, he appeared as the ‘Special Guest’ of Pianist, Composer Zenshow Ohtsuka in celebration of Zenshow’s 55th Anniversary, accompanied by the Arrow Jazz Orchestra in the NHK Concert Hall in Osaka, Japan. Fisher will perform in the “New York Bar”, Park-Hyatt Hotel, Tokyo, Japan from June 20 - September 14, 2010. The club/lounge is listed among the “Best 10 Lounges in the World”. He performs regularly on Cruise Ships as ‘Guest Entertainer’ working with the ships orchestra.

On June 16, 2010, Shelley Fisher will celebrate his 44th year in the entertainment industry. His mission is to preserve the Art and the history of Jazz & Blues by performing the music and imparting information about the many contributions of Nat “King” Cole, Lou Rawls & Joe Williams in a production entitled “Dem Boys From Chicago”™. The program consists of two 55 minute shows and is perfect for tribute shows, corporate events, theaters, university campuses and festivals.

What People Are Saying

“Celebrating Nat "King" Cole’s contributions as a jazz musician and performer is a task which cannot be duplicated enough...”
-- Quincy Jones

“Celebration”, A Tribute to Nat "King"’ Cole, is a classy presentation of songs introduced to the world by one of the greatest singers ever, featuring international entertainer Shelley Fisher. His natural vocal timbre and phrasing is reminiscent of Mr. Cole as he takes the audience on a memorable, musical journey, describing Cole's fascinating career. He is not an ‘impersonation act’ but rather a man with a great talent and even greater respect for an American icon”.
-- Julian Isherwood, Entertainment Writer, Time-Life Magazine, Scandinavia

"Shelley Fisher is one of the few male vocalists who continue to follow the classy lead of Nat "King" Cole, Lou Rawls and Joe Williams"
-- Las Vegas Review Journal

"Fisher brings Nat "King" Cole, home to Las Vegas"
-- Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun