Even as a child, singer Diunna Greenleaf, a native of Houston, Texas, was immersed in music. Drawing inspiration from Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke, Greenleaf has distilled her own brand of blues, with equal parts gospel, jazz and soul. Flanked by her group, Blue Mercy, Greenleaf has performed at the Blues to Bop Festival in Lugano, Switzerland, and at the Festival de blues de Cahors in France. She received the award for Best New Artist Debut at the 2008 Blues Music Awards in Tunica, Mississippi. In 2009, as well as visit Norway, Italy and Australia, she brings her warm and powerful voice to the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.