Johanna Rafalowicz, known professionally as Ann Burton, was born on March 4, 1933, in the Netherlands. Inspired by American singers like Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald and Welsh Actor Richard Burton, she adopted the stage name Ann Burton in the mid-1950s. Her early performances included singing with a quintet in Luxembourg and touring with various bands across Europe. Burton's breakthrough came with her 1967 album Blue Burton, which won an Edison Award in 1969. She continued to release albums throughout the 1970s, including collaborations with notable musicians like Masahiko Sato and Ken McCarthy. In 1973, she toured Japan, becoming one of the most popular jazz singers there. Her album, New York State of Mind, also received an Edison Award. Burton founded her own record label, Burtone, in the 1980s and taught at the Amsterdam Conservatory from 1986 to 1988. She passed away on November 29, 1989, due to throat cancer.
