Chris McNulty (born 1953) is an Australian and American jazz vocalist. She was based in New York City for many years before returning to live in Australia in 2015.
McNulty was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She began her professional career singing in pop bands in hotels and clubs in and around the city. She has toured Australia in pop, funk and R&B bands. In 1978 she started a jazz group with Paul Grabowsky. She moved to New York City in 1988, having been awarded an international study grant from the Music Board of the Australia Council. Two years later, her first American album, Waltz for Debbie, was released. McNulty's vocalisations for Miles Davis's "Blue in Green" became the song's official published lyric (Warner Chapell, 1990).
She has worked with Gary Bartz, Paul Bollenback, John Hicks, Ingrid Jensen, Peter Leitch, Joe Locke, Mulgrew Miller, David "Fathead" Newman, Gary Thomas and Frank Wess.
She has performed at Smoke Jazz Club (2002), Jazz Standard (2006, 2007), Sweet Rhythm (2005, 2006, 2007), the Blue Note (2006), Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy's Coca-Cola Club (2007), Kitano (February 2008, 9 June 2010, August 2013), the Bar Next Door (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and 54 Below (2015). In 2006, she co-produced the first Belize Jazz Festival. From 2003 to 2010, she performed at venues in Russia and Ukraine with Paul Bollenback and Andrei Kondokov's trio. She has toured throughout the UK and Australia.
As an educator, McNulty has been invited to present clinics and workshops at Monash University (Melbourne), Griffith University (Brisbane), the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA, Perth), the Australian Institute of Music (AIM, Sydney) and the University of South Australia (Adelaide). Her repertoire includes the great jazz standards, modern jazz classics and original compositions.
After living in the United States since she first went there in 1988, McNulty returned to Australia to live in late 2015.
Australian Bell Award, Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album, The Song That Sings You Here, 2013