Bailey Elizabeth Hinkley Grogan is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, educator, and performer based out of Denver, CO and Los Angeles, CA. Her bright, yet melancholy sound is a reflection of her deep study into the jazz idiom while simultaneously playing homage to her influences in Nancy Wilson, Chick Corea, Sheryl Crow, and Jamie Cullum. Her improvisatory style is fearless and bold, while her songwriting and lyrical delivery reflects the raw, emotional heartache and undying beauty found in her life story. Her music, which resembles the likes of Folk, R&B, and Jazz styles, is a reflection of intense experiences in her young life.

She has been singing professionally since she was 7 years old; she is trained in various genres including classical, musical theater, pop, but primarily jazz. She has performed along side many artists including Bobby Mcferrin, Kurt Elling, Kate McGarry, Ben Folds, Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer, and Darmon Meador of The New York Voices. She has been involved in several ensembles including the Young Voices of Colorado, Colorado Children’s Chorale, The Grammy Award Winning Meistersingers of Cherry Creek High School, Indiana University Singing Hoosiers, Vocal Jazz Ensemble I (Downbeat Award Winner, 2017) at Indiana University , and Pacific Standard Time at California State University Long Beach (Downbeat Award Winner, 2018).

While Bailey has been heavily involved in various academic credentials, she spends her free time performing with a quartet in her home town of Denver Colorado. In 2017, Bailey received her Bachelor’s in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Studies (Voice) from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Here she studied closely with highly decorated musicians and educators such as Dr. Steve Zegree, Dr. David Baker, Darmon Meader, Duane Davis, Wayne Wallace, Tom Walsh, Walter Smith III, Michael Spiro, and Brent Wallerab. Bailey immediately pursued her Masters in Music at California State University’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music where she graduated in 2019. In 2019, she was awarded the Outstanding Creativity Award and Vocal Jazz Award from the Bob Cole Conservatory of music as well as the Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity for her work on her graduate thesis project, This is America (see more in writing). During the COVID 19 Pandemic, Bailey attended the Frost School of Music at University of Miami where she served as a teaching assistant to Dr. Kate Reid and Dr. John Daversa and worked closely with artists Luciana Souza and Cyrille Aimee. She received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Studio Jazz Voice with a concentration in Musicology in May 2023. She performed scholarly research in feminist and LGBTQIA+ studies in Jazz history and served as a Henry Mancini Fellow at the Henry Mancini Institute directed by Maria Schneider. She served on several committees and received specialized Equality and Diversity training for college level education. In 2023, Bailey was the first Frost School of Music student to participate in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition and published her doctorate thesis, “The Lives and Careers of Six Black Female Instrumentalists.”

Since her 2023, she has served as Adjunct Faculty in Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, serves as the Marketing/Events Director for Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and works as a freelance Creative Consultant. She has begun a podcast with her co-host and best friend Camilla Vaitaitis called, “Bro…Listen“.In 2024, Grogan released her debut jazz album, “Three Sides of a Story” which features her vocal mastery and immense musical talent alongside some of the best artists in the front range including, Annie Booth, Matt Smiley, Tim Wendel and Rocco Williams. This album not only displays a more heartfelt version of Grogan’s musical influence, but illuminates her range and ability to perform various musical styles at a high level. Grogan’s talent can been seen across the Denver metro area including as a regular house artist at Stellas Cucina and Dazzle Jazz.