Nancy Steele started her teen years as a budding portrait artist at high school in Philadelphia. She switched to commercial art as a simple expedient for gathering the necessary wherewithal for three squares a day. After moving to New York, she enrolled in art classes and took voice lessons in her spare time. Her teacher was impressed with her potential and managed to persuade her to pursue a professional career.

In 1952, she secured a spot at English-born cabaret singer Mabel Mercer’s Byline Room, which was frequented by none other than Frank Sinatra. This was the launch of what would become an exciting career in showbusiness. Nancy went on to appear at prestigious New York City spots like the Blue Note (1953), Village Vanguard (1955), Le Cupidon (1955), Rainbow Room (1955) as well as other major clubs and hotels across the country.

She enjoyed a rapid ascent as a veritable vocal find with a seemingly endless repertoire of sophisticated songs and a mix of standard melodies. She magnetized the sophisticated patrons at the smart new Le Cupidon with her sexy songwriting styles. The Williamsburg News wrote on July 22, 1955: “Magnetic Nancy Steele, a hazel eyed, Sacramento-born vocalistis making Jack Zell, manager of Le Cupidon, look like the keenest talent scout since Arthur Godfrey.” In the summer of 1956, she was offered an engagement at a recently opened Manhattan spot, Ray Shaw’s Living Room, at 915 Second Avenue. She was booked atthe popular nitery for an indefinite stay thanks to the large and devoted following she attracted.

After a couple of reasonably successful “spicy” lounge releases—namely 1957’s Songs for Parties for producer and music publisher Joe Davis’ Beacon Records (BLP118), which was re-released shortly afterwards as Play Girl for his new label, Davis Records (JD-118)—Nancy recorded the “hot” new album Nitey-Nite in spring 1958 for Chatam Records, a short-lived New York label with offices at 164 East 56th Street. Nitey-Nite was likely recorded two blocks away from the Chatam offices at Olmstead Sound Studios at 1 East 54th Street, where fellow jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan also would record an album for Chatam on June 10, 1960.

Unfortunately, Sheila’s session was not released, possibly due the closure of Chatam around that time, and only finally saw the lightin late 2021 by the Capri label thanks to the chance discovery of the original acetate. Nancy released her first 45-rpm single a year later on another of Joe Davis’ labels, Celebrity, which featured the track “Our Future” with “I Just Couldn’t Believe” on the flipside. “Nowadays,” she lamented, “a singer needs to record to get along. I could keep singing in clubs, smaller clubs, but there’s no money in that. No, today a singer has to have singles, that’s all”. Even her albums, she said, would have sold better if there had been a 45-rpm single released together with them. “Disc jockeys simply won’t play an album by an unknown artist for a radio audience, no matter how prominent it may be in any other medium.” After a long stint at the extravagant Manhattan nightclub El Morocco, Nancy and Sheila Jordan was asked to headline a show on April 30, 1963, at the newly inaugurated Robbers’ Roost on 68th Street and Madison Avenue.

The singers attracted and delighted an audience of mainly jazz fans with their excellent interpretations. In March 1964, Nancy appeared at the Composer-Lyricist, a newly opened jazz room on West 58th Street, along with pianists Cy Walter and Bernard Peiffer, and guitarist Tal Farlow. From December 15, 1964, Nancy became hostess-owner of L’Intrigue, a nightclub located on the lower two floors of an old four-story brownstone building at 35 West 56th Street. Downstairs was a bar and dining room where Nancy used to sing accompanied by a pianist and bassist (for a time Ronnie Ball and Sonny Dallas), while the elegant suite of rooms upstairs was turned into a discotheque.

In January 1965, the club started Sunday jazz sessions with Lee Konitz, Ronnie Ball, Sonny Dallas, and Nick Stabulas. On April 11, 1965, Nancy threw a party for the Youth Symphony Orchestra of New York, following its matinee concert atCarnegie Hall.In September 1966, Robert Sylvester in his Dream Street column at Daily News, likened her vocal performance to a welcome tonic: “Nancy Steele’s jazzy thrushing at L’Intrigue is sure good for what wails me.” She began to book artists for engagements at L’Intrigue and, in late 1966/early 1967, pianist Joe Beck appeared at the club for an extended stint. Also featured in October ofthat year was singer-pianist Hugh Shannon, topping a bill that included the Pat Rebillot Duo.

This stage of L’Intrigue concluded at the end of 1967 and Nancy left the scene for good, leaving behind an image of an enterprising woman of versatile talent: she acted, she danced, she was a commercial artist, and she was a businesswoman. Regardless of her title, she was always able to deliver with her fine singing style

—Jordi Pujol (From the inside liner notes of FSRV 135)