Dorothy Ashby (August 6, 1932-April 13, 1986) was an American jazz harpist and composer. Critic Scott Yannow writes, "There have been very few jazz harpists in history and Dorothy Ashby was one of the greats. Somehow she was able to play credible bebop on her instrument." [LINK: http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll] [1] There had been jazz harpists prior to Ashby, like Adele Girard, but no one else had adapted the harp to jazz so successfully nor had integrated into such a broad array of musical styles. Her influence certainly opened doors for later jazz harpists like Deborah Henson-Conant, Andreas Vollenweider and Carol Robbins. Biography Born Dorothy Jeanne Thompson on August 6, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, Ashby grew up around music in Detroit where her father, guitarist Wiley Thompson, often brought home fellow jazz musicians. Even as a young girl, Dorothy would provide support and background to the

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