Cotton Candy

"I am too blessed to be depressed."

"She's a woman that had very humble and austere beginnings, but she was always one of those people who took what life gave them and made the most of it," Chris Cohick said.

Washington performed regularly and actively supported local musicians even after losing a leg to diabetes. She would attend jam sessions and the concerts of other performers, never hesitating to sit in for a song, said bassist John Altevogt, who played with her about four years.

Washington was known for performing at area benefit concerts, too.

Her voice also was prize-winning. She and her band were twice winners of Best Blues Band contests in Kansas City. In 1998, they placed third in the International Best Blues Band Contest in Memphis.

"She didn't just sing the blues; she entertained people," said fellow blues performer D.C. Bellamy. "She intertwined with the audience and could always make them laugh. She was full of joy and there was an excitement you couldn't get away from with her."

Washington was a founding member of the Kansas City Blues Society and was among the first women to be named an Elder Statesman of Jazz in Kansas City, Cohick said.

The legendary blues woman was a direct link to Kansas City's thriving jazz and blues past, Altevogt said.

"She was one of the few remaining who reach back to that era," he said. "She was there at 18th and Vine," the city's historic jazz district where legendary musicians such as Charlie "Bird" Parker and Count Bassie once played.
Cotton Candy was a founding member and helped to organize the Kansas City Blues Society, and served as the original secretary during her three year tenure on the board.