Schuur was born in Tacoma, Washington, two months premature and weighing less than three pounds. Complications of prematurity resulted in her total loss of vision. Her twin brother, David, had normal vision at birth but some hearing loss. She also has a younger sister.
In 1975, at age 22, Schuur auditioned for drummer/bandleader Ed Shaughnessy. Escorted by her twin brother, she went backstage to seek out Shaughnessy after he had finished a concert in Seattle with bandleader Doc Severinsen. Shaughnessy said, "Doc's concert was over and this young blind girl comes in and sits down at the Fender Rhodes keyboard and starts singing the blues. Well, my hair stood on end!" He hired her to be the vocalist in his orchestra, "Energy Force". Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie heard her and, in 1979, invited her to sit in on a set at the Monterey Jazz Festival. According to Dave Gelly in his 2002 book, Stan Getz: Nobody Else But Me, Schuur's performance created "a minor sensation". Despite this success, the Shaughnessy connection was not the breakthrough she had hoped for. Schuur failed to impress bandleader Doc Severinsen, who turned her down when she auditioned for a guest spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Some people in the industry dubbed her "Lady Overkill" because she had a tendency to oversing or tried to put everything she knew into a brief space. For the next three years, Shuur performed in clubs and sharpened her skills. Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, who had been impressed when he heard her sing "Amazing Grace" at Monterey in 1979, did not give up on her. He became her advisor and coach. Discussing Getz in this role, Schuur stated, "he really was a mentor of mine. He taught me that less is more." Schuur recorded her first album, Pilot of my Destiny in 1981 in Seattle on the independent label, Great American Records. It included some of her original compositions and Getz performed on it. Entertainment writer Michael Hoffman, writing in the Arizona Daily Star, said the album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well. The album has become a collectors' item since the original masters were lost. It was re-released on the MIM Label in 1982, on vinyl only.

Q: When was Schuur discovered?
A: In 1975,

Q: Was she hired by Ed Shaughnessy?
A: He hired her to be the vocalist in his orchestra,

Q: What did she do after working for him?
A: auditioned for a guest spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

Q: Did she ever win any awards?
A: unknown

Q: Did she ever record an album?
A: Schuur recorded her first album, Pilot of my Destiny in 1981

Q: What record label released her album?
A: Great American Records.
Was her album successful?
album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well. the album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well. the album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well. did not do very well. the album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well.
the album suffered from "poor production and distribution" and did not do very well.