John Dokes and The Savannah Jazz Orchestra
With inspiration from his stylistic ancestors Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, John Dokes brings new life to the deep-souled world of baritone jazz vocals on his elegant new album, Our Day.

His upbeat vocal stylings of original tunes and classic jazz tunes inspire many to dance. Dancing is in his DNA as he a lifelong Lindy Hopper. Many tunes in his songbook associated with Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra but range as far as the full-energy pop of Billy Ocean. He is most passionate about the eras of the ‘40’s, ‘50’s, and early ‘60’s.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas who grew up living in Oakland, California, Dokes never dreamed of becoming a professional singer even though he was fascinated by black-and-white reruns of Nat Coles’ short-lived 15-minute network television show that ran on NBC in 1956.

He moved to New York and became a regular at swing dance shows including dates by the George Gee Swing Orchestra. One of his dance partners was the legendary Lindy Hopper, cabaret star, and alto sax player Dawn Hampton, the cousin of jazz hero Lionel Hampton and sister of legendary trombonist and composer Slide Hampton. She told him that she really liked his voice when he was dancing. “If Dawn likes my voice, I’m going to surprise her one night and sing a couple of songs with George’s band. George only knew me as a dancer. He saw my potential and asked me to join the band.”

Dokes will front the 17-piece Savannah Jazz Orchestra on the Savannah Jazz Festival stage this year. The 40-year old iconic orchestra is co-directed by Teddy Adams and Randall Reese, both Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame inductees.