Short lived club divas!

[mellow_q]

Hey Stephanie,

This is a good thread. Many of these club divas had hits that seemed to have been HUGE in New York because they got a lot of airplay, but many of the divas got royally jerked around by small time label owners and promoters and they just seemed to disappear. I've been able to catch up to a few to interview for A Touch of Classic Soul, but most of them have vanished.

Here's my short list of 15 just off the top of my head. I'm confining it to the early-to-mid-1980s.

Sharon Brown [["I Specialize in Love") - active on FB
Jeanette "Lady" Day [["Come and Let Me Love You") - heard that she passed around the time of the release of the song.
Slyvia Striplin' [["Give Me Your Love") - whereabouts unknown
Chemise [["She Can't Love You") - whereabouts unknown
Tracey Webber [["Sureshot") - was killed around the time the song was released.
Fonda Rae [["Over Like a Fat Rat," "Touch Me, All Night Long") - still around
Taana Gardner [["Work That Body," "Heartbeat") - still around. I think she's on FB
Alicia Myers - [["I Wanna Thank You") - performing in NY next weekend
Janice McClain [["Smack Dab in the Middle") - active on FB
Dhar Braxton [["Jump Back") - whereabouts unknown
Jocelyn Brown - performs primarily in Europe
Martha Wash - performs regularly
Barbara Roy from Ecstasy, Passion & Pain [["Gotta See You Tonight") - active on FB and should be performing in NY fairly soon
Pennye Ford [["Dangerous," "Change Your Wicked Ways") performs with Bernadette Cooper's Klymaxx; active on FB
Vickie Love and Nuance - [["Love Ride," "Take a Chance") - Vickie's on FB
Carrie Lucas - [["Dance With You," "Career Girl") - on FB and performed at least once this year.


I'm sure Juice or Kev-Lo will chime in here with more.

Peace,
Marc Taylor

[juicefree20]

I would have to say that Sharon Redd was my favorite club artist ever. From 1980 to 1983, Sharon made some of the hottest club jams ever, especially that 1st LP. Can You Handle It, You Got My Love are 2 songs which never fail to bring back some great memories of spinning them at The Rollerdome. But Sharon also could handle a ballad & You Stayed On My Mind was another song that I loved. Ironically, it was a ballad, Does Your Mama Know About Me, which was recorded with Formerly Of The Harlettes that is my favorite performance by her. I loved that song from the 1st time that I heard it back in 1978 & with a due respect to all, I consider hers to be the definitive version of that song.

Sharon was the sister of Pennye Ford & I once did a rather lengthy overview of her career on my old website, some information which later appeared in another article about her on another site. In which case, I'm flattered.

I have to include Carol Williams here, not for her 1970s Disco cuts, but for her 1980s cuts You've Reached The Bottom Line & Can't Get Away. I've read that she was a member of a group named Komiko, which made another favorite of mine, Feel Alright.

For 1 LP, I have to mention Donna McGhee, if only for her glorious It Ain't No Big Thing. That was one sweet song & Love Bug & her original version of Make It Last Forever [[not the Keith Sweat version, but the one which was covered by Inner Life) is wonderful, as well.

A few others that I have to qualify would be Meli'sa Morgan purely on the strength of Keep In Touch [[Body To Body) while she was with The Shades Of Love, and Raw Silk for Do It To The Music, who was fronted by actress Valerie Pettiford, which you can see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezw2b0uuz_o

And an honorable mention must go to Vicky D for This Beat Is Mine & Shawn Christopher for one of my favorite House Cuts, Don't Lose The Magic [[Hitman's 12'). Unfortunately,only the 12" is posted on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQ8pemdDDw

Marc & I ran into Joyce Sims a few years ago at a Disco Ball & she sounded good. I've run into Rochelle over the last 2 years & Rochelle is still active & doing her thing. She last appeared in Coney Island at the Cyclones field. As for Alicia Myers, she's my girl & one hell of a sweetheart & I'm glad to see that they're bringing her to our area more often. I believe that she'd be able to get more that a few gigs if she lived in our area, as I Want To Thank You & others have remained very popular here.

[juicefree20]

Marc,

Indeed, there was a different spin put on it by this gentleman & I was quite surprised when he told me who he was & why he stated what he stated. I would've never guessed that his daughter was who she was. But he started running down where she lived, what she had been doing & when I checked it out, the brother had all of the details about who he said his daughter was down pat.

Now this isn't a brother whom you would've thought would've known about this music,much less these artists. He doesn't fit the age demographic, nor the lifestyle & he didn't appear to be a follower of club/R&B music at all. So when he stated who his daughter was & stated a name which wasn't a household name, someone who definitely wasn't in the public consciousness &told me with complete clarity what had gone down & placing himself squarely in that picture, the man had nothing to gain by saying any of that & absolutely no reason to lie to me about it.

I realize that some things that go down can be hard to take & that truth can often be stranger than fiction,so out of respect for those who are left behind, I would never repeat a word that he said on a public forum because doing so wouldn't change a thing, nor would it bring her back. People are comfortable with things as they are & I believe that they should be able to hold onto the good memories that they have. I haven't the right to take that away from them & it's best to let the young lady rest in peace.

[marv2]

Hey Stephanie,

This is a good thread. Many of these club divas had hits that seemed to have been HUGE in New York because they got a lot of airplay, but many of the divas got royally jerked around by small time label owners and promoters and they just seemed to disappear. I've been able to catch up to a few to interview for A Touch of Classic Soul, but most of them have vanished.

Here's my short list of 15 just off the top of my head. I'm confining it to the early-to-mid-1980s.

Sharon Brown [["I Specialize in Love") - active on FB
Jeanette "Lady" Day [["Come and Let Me Love You") - heard that she passed around the time of the release of the song.
Slyvia Striplin' [["Give Me Your Love") - whereabouts unknown
Chemise [["She Can't Love You") - whereabouts unknown
Tracey Webber [["Sureshot") - was killed around the time the song was released.
Fonda Rae [["Over Like a Fat Rat," "Touch Me, All Night Long") - still around
Taana Gardner [["Work That Body," "Heartbeat") - still around. I think she's on FB
Alicia Myers - [["I Wanna Thank You") - performing in NY next weekend
Janice McClain [["Smack Dab in the Middle") - active on FB
Dhar Braxton [["Jump Back") - whereabouts unknown
Jocelyn Brown - performs primarily in Europe
Martha Wash - performs regularly
Barbara Roy from Ecstasy, Passion & Pain [["Gotta See You Tonight") - active on FB and should be performing in NY fairly soon
Pennye Ford [["Dangerous," "Change Your Wicked Ways") performs with Bernadette Cooper's Klymaxx; active on FB
Vickie Love and Nuance - [["Love Ride," "Take a Chance") - Vickie's on FB
Carrie Lucas - [["Dance With You," "Career Girl") - on FB and performed at least once this year.


I'm sure Juice or Kev-Lo will chime in here with more.

Peace,
Marc Taylor

That is good list Marc. I saw Taania Gardner at a small club over in Queens a few years ago. She was very pregnant but still did a good job. Of the ladies I listed in my first posting here, both Tasha Thomas and Karen Young have passed.