by Jason Ankeny Alternative R&B singer Adriana Evans was born and raised in San Francisco; her mother, Mary Stallings, was herself a gifted vocalist who sang with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie and issued a series of fine solo records. At 18, Evans relocated to Los Angeles, befriending aspiring rapper Dred Scott and collaborating on his 1994 album Breakin' Combs. Her own self-titled debut followed on RCA in 1997.