Gloria Lynne (born Gloria Wilson; November 23, 1929 – October 15, 2013), also known as Gloria Alleyne, was an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007.
Gloria Lynne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gloria Wilson |
| Also known as | Gloria Alleyne (married name) |
| Born | November 23, 1929 Harlem, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 2013 (aged 83) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instrument | Singing |
| Years active | 1958–2007 |
| Labels | Everest, ABC |
Early life
editLynne was born in Harlem in 1929 to John and Mary Wilson, a gospel singer.[1][2] She grew up in Harlem, and as a young girl, Lynne sang with the local African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Choir.
Career
editAt the age of 15, she won first prize at the Amateur Night contest at the Apollo Theater. She shared the stage with contemporary night club vocal ensembles, and recorded as part of such groups as the Enchanters and the Dell-Tones in the 1950s. As a soloist she recorded under her birth name, although most of her work was released under her stage name on the Everest, with whom she signed in 1958,[3] and Fontana labels.
Although showing much promise early on, especially after TV appearances, including the Harry Belafonte Spectacular, her development suffered through poor management. Some unscrupulous recording executives profited while she was had limited financial resources—a victim of unpaid royalties—and only saved by the fact that she was able to work steadily and earn her money from live performances.[4]
During her earlier years on the road, Lynne shared bills with RnB, jazz, traditional pop music, and pop singers including Ray Charles, Billy Eckstine, Johnny Mathis and Ella Fitzgerald. TV specials include two with Harry Belafonte.[5] She wrote lyrics for "Watermelon Man" with Herbie Hancock, and "All Day Long" with Kenny Burrell. Her final recording was "I Wish It Would Snow" featuring Bucky Pizzarelli. The song was featured in the 2014 Lifetime movie Seasons of Love, starring Gladys Knight and Taraji P. Henson.
New York City proclaimed July 25, 1995 as "Gloria Lynne Day."[6]
Personal life
editShe and her husband, Harry Alleyne, had a son, Richard. Gloria and Richard Alleyne ran a production company, Family Bread Music Inc.[7]
She died of a heart attack on October 15, 2013, in Newark, New Jersey, at the age of 83.[8]
Awards
editIn 1996, Lynne received the International Women of Jazz Award, and she was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1997. Other awards and recognition include the National Treasure Award from the Seasoned Citizens Theatre Company (2003); induction into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame; Living Legend Award from the State of Pennsylvania (2007).[7] In 2008, Lynne was presented with a special award for "Outstanding Achievement In Jazz", at the New York MAC Awards. In 2010, she was honored at New York's Schomburg Library, for her many contributions to the music industry and the world by Great Women In Music and its founder Roz Nixon. Roz Nixon Entertainment worked successfully with Lynne throughout her final years, producing, co-producing or participating in making the arrangements for Ms. Lynne's appearances pertaining to her last concerts or significant events.
Charted singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[9] |
US R&B[10] | |||
| 1961 | "The Jazz in You" | 109 | — | Everest |
| "He Needs Me" | 111 | — | ||
| "Impossible" | 95 | 16 | ||
| "You Don't Have To Be A Tower Of Strength" | 100 | — | ||
| 1964 | "I Wish You Love" | 28 | 3 | |
| "I Should Care" | 64 | 47 | ||
| "Be Anything (But Be Mine)" | 88 | 40 | Fontana | |
| "Don't Take Your Love From Me" | 76 | — | Everest | |
| 1965 | "Watermelon Man" | 62 | 8 | Fontana |
Discography
editAs a member of the Dell-Tones
edit| Recorded | Title | Label | Format | Catalogue No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | "Yours Alone"/"My Heart's on Fire" | Brunswick | 45 r.p.m. | 84015 |
| 1954 | "Little Short Daddy"/"I'm Not in Love with You" | Rainbow | 45 r.p.m. | 244 |
Singles
edit| Recorded | Title | Label | Format | Catalogue No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | "When I Say My Prayer"/"The Uncloudy Day" | Josie | 45 r.p.m. | 767 |
| 1959 | "June Night"/"Perdido" | Everest | 19303 | |
| "But Not for Me"/"Just in Time" | 19308 | |||
| 1960 | "Be My Love"/"My Prayer for You" | 19326 | ||
| "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe"/"My Reverie" | 19337 | |||
| "June Night"/"Perdido" | 19343 | |||
| "Am I Blue"/"Little Girl Blue" | 19346 | |||
| "They Didn't Believe Me"/"Without a Song" | 19347 | |||
| "Gypsy Boy"/"Recommended to Love" | 19367 | |||
| "Condemned Without Trial"/"Dreamy" | 19373 | |||
| "The Jazz in You"/"Love, I've Found You" | 19390 | |||
| 1961 | "He Needs Me"/"The Lamp Is Low" | 19409 | ||
| "Impossible"/"This Little Boy of Mine" | 19418 | |||
| "You Don't Have to Be a Tower of Strength"/"I Will Follow You" | 19428 | |||
| 1962 | "And This Is My Beloved"/"I'm Glad There Is You" | 19431 | ||
| "I Know Love"/"It Just Happened to Me" | 2008 | |||
| 1963 | "I'll Buy You a Star"/"Record Company Blues" | 2023 | ||
| "Humming Blues"/"Stormy Monday Blues" | 2030 | |||
| 1964 | "I Wish You Love"/"Through a Long and Sleepless Night" | 2036 | ||
| "I Should Care"/"Indian Love Call" | 2042 | |||
| "Don't Take Your Love from Me"/"You Don't Know What Love Is" | 2044 | |||
| "Serenade in Blue"/"Without a Song" | 2047 | |||
| "On Christmas Day"/"Wouldn't It Be Loverly" | 2051 | |||
| 1965 | "Fly Me to the Moon"/"The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" | 2055 | ||
| "Out of This World"/"Squeeze Me" | 2058 | |||
| "Lonely Street"/"Try a Little Tenderness" | 2059 | |||
| "The Folks Who Live on the Hill"/"That's a Joy" | 2061 | |||
| "My Devotion"/"I'm Glad There Is You" | 2062 | |||
| 1959 | "Little Boy Blues"/"Way Beyond the Hills" | Seeco | 6037 | |
| 1961 | "Is There Someone for Me"/"I'm Not Afraid Anymore" | 6077 | ||
| 1964 | "Be Anything (but Be Mine)"/"Soul Serenade" | Fontana | 1890 | |
| 1965 | "The Touch of Your Lips"/"Intimate Moments" | 1507 | ||
| "Watermelon Man"/"All Alone" | 1511 | |||
| "Whisperers"/"I Understand" | 1523 | |||
| 1966 | "Sometimes It Be's That Way"/"Speaking of Happiness" | 1538 | ||
| "Strangers in the Night"/"Hey, Candy Man" | 1554 | |||
| "Money Machine"/"I Got What You Want" | 1560 | |||
| 1967 | "Love Is"/"It's Not the Truth" | 1567 | ||
| "Foolish Dreamer"/"I Can't Stand It" | 1594 | |||
| 1968 | "Down Here on the Ground"/"I've Never Been Loved Before" | 1617 | ||
| "The Guy Who Lived Up There"/"Hold Back the Dawn" | 1627 | |||
| 1969 | "I've Got to Be Someone"/"Problem Child" | 1639 | ||
| "Darlin'"/"No Easy Way Down" | 1660 | |||
| "Hold It"/"Untouched By Human Love" | 1674 | |||
| 1966 | "I Wish You Love"/"A Long Long Story" | Hi Fi | 5103 | |
| 1970 | "If You Don't Get It Yourself"/"Love's Finally Found Me" | Canyon | 36 | |
| "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong"/"Take You All the Way" | Roker | 504 | ||
| 1972 | "Never My Love"/"The Summer Knows" | Mercury | 73267 | |
| "Just Let Me Be Me"/"Kickin' Life" | 73294 | |||
| 1976 | "Out of This World"/"Thank You, Early Bird" | ABC Impulse | 31003 | |
| 2012 | "I Wish It Would Snow" | (LC Wells, LC Wells Music, LLC) | [11][12] |
Albums
edit| Recorded | Title | Label | Format | Catalogue No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Miss Gloria Lynne (with Wild Bill Davis and His Group) | Everest | LP | BR-5022 |
| 1959 | Lonely And Sentimental | BR-5063 | ||
| 1960 | Try A Little Tenderness | BR-5090 | ||
| Day In, Day Out (with Ernie Wilkins and His Orchestra) | BR-5101 | |||
| 1961 | I'm Glad There Is You | BR-5126 | ||
| He Needs Me | BR-5128 | |||
| This Little Boy Of Mine | BR-5131 | |||
| 1962 | Gloria Lynne At Basin Street East (with the Earl May Trio) | BR-5137 | ||
| Gloria Blue (compilation) | BR-5203 | |||
| 1963 | Gloria Lynne At The Las Vegas Thunderbird (with the Herman Foster Trio) | BR-5208 | ||
| Gloria, Marty & Strings (with Marty Paich and His Orchestra) | BR-5220 | |||
| 1964 | I Wish You Love (compilation) | BR-5226 | ||
| Glorious (reissue of Miss Gloria Lynne) | BR-5228 | |||
| After Hours (reissue of Lonely And Sentimental) | BR-5230 | |||
| The Best Of Gloria Lynne (compilation) | BR-5231 | |||
| 1964 | Intimate Moments | Fontana | SRF-67528 | |
| 1965 | Soul Serenade | SRF-67541 | ||
| Love And A Woman | SRF-67546 | |||
| 1966 | Go! Go! Go! (reissue of Day In, Day Out) | Everest | BR-5237 | |
| Where It's At | Fontana | SRF-67555 | ||
| 1967 | Gloria | SRF-67561 | ||
| The Other Side Of Gloria Lynne | SRF-67571 | |||
| 1968 | Here, There & Everywhere | SRF-67577 | ||
| 1969 | The Best Of Gloria Lynne (compilation) | SRF-67589 | ||
| 1970 | Happy And In Love | Canyon | 7709 | |
| 1972 | A Very Gentle Sound | Mercury | SRM-1-633 | |
| 1974 | Gloria Lynne Greatest Hits By Popular Demand | Paul Winley | LP-122 | |
| 1976 | I Don't Know How To Love Him | ABC Impulse | ASD-9311 | |
| 1977 | Love's Finally Found Me (with Stanley Turrentine) | Versatile | NED-1122 | |
| 1993 | No Detour Ahead | Muse | CD | MR-5414 |
| 1994 | A Time for Love | MR-5381 | ||
| 1997 | This One's On Me | HighNote | HCD 7015 | |
| 2007 | From My Heart to Yours | HCD 7162 |
References
edit- ^ Gloria Lynne obituary, New York Times, October 19, 2013.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "Gloria Lynne". allmusic. Rovi. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ Billboard Magazine, December 1, 1958, p. 7.
- ^ David Hinckley. New York Daily News, May 26, 2004.
- ^ Billboard Magazine, November 28, 1960, p. 14.
- ^ "Dany Doriz". Trumpetsjazz.com. July 25, 1995. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Remarks by the Hon. John Conyers Jr., Congressional Record, Extension of Remarks Vol. 153, Pt. 10, May 22, 2007, p. 13571.
- ^ "Jazz vocalist Gloria Lynne dies at 83". CNN. October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 96.
- ^ "I Wish It Would Snow". Soundcloud.com.
- ^ own a copy of the album
External links
edit- Gloria Lynne discography at Discogs
- Gloria Lynne at IMDb
- Gloria Lynne at Soulfulkindamusic.com
- Gloria Lynne at Verve Records
- Gloria Lynne interview at Afrocentricnews.com