Jillian Armsbury (1962-2009) was an American singer-songwriter and activist, originally from Spokane, Washington. She was a pioneer in the Charanga R&B music genre. She was the lead singer of the Latin group Los Jovenes del Barrio. She had worked with the latin jazz percussionist, Mongo Santamaria, singing on an album of his which was released in the late 1980s. She was the co-composer of "Do You Want My Love" which was a hit for CoCo Lee, which appeared on Lee's album Just No Other Way. She was married to bandleader Johnny Almendra and then later to session musician Leon Pendarvis.
Background Jill Maureen Armsbury was born and raised in Washington and Oregon, and was of German, English, and Scottish ancestry. She had two brothers, Joe and Charles Armsbury, and one sister Erika Armsbury. Her parents divorced when she was 4 years old and her father, activist Charles "Chuck" Armsbury, remarried in 1968 to Sonja Marie Brooks, a black woman with three children. They had two additional children together. Sonja raised all 7 of them. "Children of Struggle", itsabouttimebpp.com. Accessed March 28, 2025. By the age of nine, Jill was doing community theater. A formally trained dancer, she studied dance for some years. Later wanting to do New York Broadway work she realized that dancers were also singing so that led her to study music and singing. She grew up listening to Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, James Brown, John Coltrane and Motown. JILLIAN: IN HER OWN WORDS, herencialatina.com. Accessed March 26, 2025. She later took the name Jillian Armsbury as her stage name.
Armsbury was married to Johnny Almendra who founded Los Jovenes Del Barrio. At the time of their interview with George Rivera of Jazz Con Clave, they had been together for ten years. The union ultimately was dissolved and she later marriedJazz Con Clave - Q&A: A Conversation With Johnny Almendra And Jillian by George Rivera Saturday Night Live music director Leon Pendarvis,University of Arkansas News, Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 2018 Black Music Symposium: Shaping American, Music Meet the guest artistsBreath of Hope, Fall 2009 - Page 3 to whom she remained married until her death.Breath of Hope, Fall 2009 - Page 3
Career An article by Jessica Lynne Valiente of the Graduate Center, City University of New York credited Armsbury with the compositions that she contributed, and the artistic persona in her performances for creating a Latin / R&B fusion that was more successful than anything that had ever been tried during the boogaloo era or following it.CUNY Academic Works - Siento una Flauta: Improvisational Idiom, Style, and Performance Practice of Charanga Flutists in New York from 1960 to 2000, The Charanga Renaissance, Page 63 Siento una Flauta: Chapter 2 By Jessica ValienteProQuest - Siento una Flauta: Improvisational Idiom, Style, and Performance Practice of Charanga Flutists in New York from 1960 to 2000 The group Los Jovenes del Barrio she was in was one of the most important bands in the New York bands in the New York Latin music scene, pushing the barriers as well as extending the musical shape.Billboard, April 27, 1996 - Page 79 LATINThe Beat, Volume 19 - Bongo Productions, 2000 - Page 31
1980s - 1990s Armsbury appeared on the Olé Ola album by Mongo Santamaria which was released in 1989.Cadence, Volume 16, Issues 1-6 - Page 86Jazz Journal International 1990 - Page 31 She sang lead on the title song", the Diane Bulgarelli composition Olé Ola" as well having some involvement with Santamaria's composition "La Tumba".Discogs - Mongo Santamaria – Olé Ola, More Images (Back cover) In 1996, Los Jovenes Del Barrio released their Evolucionando album. The Billboard reviewer noted her shining performances on the songs "Telephone" and "Stop Slow Down".Billboard Magazine|Billboard, April 27, 1996 - Page 79 LATIN A similar review was given by Cashbox in the February 10th issue.Cashbox, February 10, 1996 - Page 14 LATIN, REVIEWS By Hector Resendez With the group's experimentation with various Afro-Cuban styles, jazz and R&B, it caused a sensation.Penguin encyclopedia of popular music, Donald Clarke - Page 234 In May 1998, along with Baby Zilla, she was appearing at the Downtime in New York.Page 138 NightLife DIRECTORY, POP/JAZZ, New York Magazine, May 17, 1993. She co-composed the song "Do You Want My Love" which was a hit for Coco Lee in New Zealand and Australia in 1999 making the top 20 in both countries.CoCo Lee - Do You Want My Love, Hitparade.ch. Accessed March 26, 2025.
2000s Armsbury provided background vocals on Rosie O'Donnell's Another Rosie Christmas album which was released in 2000. She also did background vocal work for the Swedish group Play on their 2003 album, Playin' Around.AllMusic - Jill Armsbury, Credits In May 2007, she was a guest performer with Julia Wade in Wade's "A Canvas of Colors" show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.Galt MacDermot Among Beechman Theatre May Line-Up, Broadway World, April 23, 2007. She contributed a rap to the Everybody Get Down by Funk Filharmonik, which was released in 2008.
Activism In 2000, Armsbury volunteered with the Shadow Convention of 2000. She performed with the children’s chorus who were the children orphaned as a result of parents being imprisoned in the war on drugs.Razor Wire, Winter 2009, Vol. 12 No. 1 - Page 9 Keeping an Eye on Congress In 2001, she was the spokes-woman for the United Musicians Front, a 50-member group of musicians who were protesting against radio stations which included La Mega, who had gone too far to the commercial side and lost touch with the people in New York.The New York Times, August 13, 2001 - Latino Radio Gaining Popularity and Scrutiny By MIREYA NAVARRO
In 2008, she came to the Southeast Missouri State University at the request of its musical director Judith Farris to speak to the students. Dog serves as reminder, participant in Southeast's musical 'Sweet Charity', Southeast Missourian, February 26, 2009. She shared with them her experience with cancer."Saturday Night Live band leader to perform with SEMO students", April 16, 2009.
Death Jillian Armsbury Pendarvis died on January 22, 2009, aged 46, of mesothelioma."Children of Struggle", itsabouttimebpp.com. Accessed March 26, 2025.Obituary, herencialatina.com. Accessed March 26, 2025. (in Spanish)
Legacy In 2009, the Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Theatre and Dance and students dedicated their Sweet Charity musical production to Armsbury.Southeast Missourian, Thursday, February 26, 2009 - Dog serves as reminder, participant in Southeast's musical 'Sweet Charity' by Chris Harris A concert was held in her memory which was in conjunction with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.Youtube - Mesothelioma Research Fundraiser Summer Music Bash Trailer
Discography + Albums with Los Jovenes del Barrio Act Title Release info Year Notes Johnny Almendra & Los Jovenes del Barrio Evolucionando RMM Records 82006 1996 Los Jovenes del Barrio Live RMM 82253 1998 Los Jovenes del Barrio The Best of Los Jovenes del Barrio RMM 84004 1999 AllMusic - Jill Armsbury, Credits Johnny Almendra Los Jóvenes del Barrio featuring Jillian Reconfirmando RMM 82159 - 1999 1999 AllMusic - Andreu Johnny Almendra, Reconfirmando Musica!: The Rhythm of Latin America - Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, and More, Sue Steward - Page 170 Los Jovenes del Barrio iEs Diferente Shanachie 66025 2000 AllMusic - Jill Armsbury, CreditsDiscogs - Los Jóvenes Del Barrio – iEs Differente!
+ Appears on Act Title Release info Year Notes Mongo Santamaria Olé Ola Concord Picante CCD-4387 1989 AllMusic - Mongo Santamaria, Olé Ola Schwann Spectrum, Volume 1, Issues 2-3 - Page 254, Page 245 Various artists RMM 10th Anniversary Concert RMM 82227 1997 AllMusic - Various Artists, RMM 10th Anniversary Concert, Track Listing - Disc 2 Funk Filharmonik Everybody Get Down 31220 Music/337 2008
References
External links Q&A: A Conversation With Johnny Almendra And Jillian by George Rivera, jazzconclave.com. Accessed March 26, 2025. La Salsa es mi Vida: Danzón, Johnny Almendra y Los Jóvenes del Barrio – Reconfirmando, lasalsaesmivida.com. Accessed March 26, 2025. Jillian Armsbury (1962-2009): Pioneer of Charanga R&B, ondacarolina.blogspot.com. Accessed March 26, 2025.