Sharon Redd

Sharon Redd
Background information
Born (1945-10-19)October 19, 1945
Origin New York City, United States
Died May 1, 1992(1992-05-01) (aged 46)
Genres Urban contemporary, house, post-disco[1]
Occupation(s) Singer, actress
Years active 1967–1992
Labels United Artists, Prelude
Associated acts Bette Midler and the Harlettes

Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992[2]) was an American singer from New York. She was the half sister of R&B singer Pennye Ford.

Life and career

Sharon Redd was born in Norfolk, Virginia to Gene Redd and Katherine Redd. Gene Redd was a producer and musical director at King Records, and her stepfather performed with Benny Goodman's orchestra. Her brother Gene Redd Jr. was a songwriter and producer for Kool & the Gang and BMP.[3] Her sister Pennye Ford is also a singer with two albums to her credit and known for her work as the main singer for Snap!.[4][4]

She began her recording career with four singles in 1968 for the United Artists label, three written and all four produced by songwriter and record producer Bobby Susser. Susser chose the Hank Williams song "Half As Much" to be Redd's first single. Redd's vocals, against Susser's heavy-bass track, made her presence very quickly known to R&B radio stations.[5]

Redd, as a budding actress, got a major break when she starred in an Australian production of the rock musical Hair. She was among a troupe of young African-American imports to the Sydney production, a group which notably included Marcia Hines. Redd appeared in the production from its June 6, 1969 premiere through 1971.

As Redd was becoming famous in Australia, she was interviewed by Barry Sloane on a 1971 episode of "GTK".[6] Her popular adverts for Amoco led to her own television special. Redd and Hair co-star Teddy Williams were asked to leave Australia by the Immigration Department in April 1971 for reasons they believed were race-motivated.[7][8] Aside from Hair, Redd also appeared in Ti-Jean and His Brothers and, in 1974, traveled to London to star in an American production of The Wedding of Iphigenia. In 1977 Redd played the role of Sherrye in the U.S. television sitcom "Rhoda".[9][10] 1978 also saw Redd feature as a guest in the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[11]

In the mid-1970s, Bette Midler was looking to replace Merle Miller and Gail Kantor, both of whom had left after Midler's 1973 tour to pursue their own interests. Midler auditioned over 70 performers, but Redd landed the job, becoming one of Bette's Harlettes.[12] Aside from performing as a Harlette, Redd also provided backing vocals for Carol Douglas ("Burnin'" and "Night Fever") and Norman Connors ("You Are My Starship"). Having ended their association with Midler, Redd, Charlotte Crossley, & Ula Hedwig released an LP, Formerly of the Harlettes, in late 1977.

In 1979, Redd recorded the disco hit "Love Insurance," released by Panorama Records under the name Front Page, her own vocals going uncredited. But she soon signed a recording contract with Prelude Records, and Redd became the label's most successful artist. Her first album, 1980's self-titled Sharon Redd, was closely followed by two more—Redd Hott (1982) and Love How You Feel (1983). Redd placed several songs on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, including "Beat the Street," "In the Name of Love," and "Love How You Feel."

After these releases, Sharon Redd returned to her successful career as a background vocalist, most notably with the group Soirée, which also included among its members Luther Vandross and Jocelyn Brown. Following the UK top 20 success of a re-recorded "Can You Handle It", she recorded a single entitled "All the Way to Love", with Les Adams. The song remains unreleased. This was to be her last solo recording.

In the midst of mounting a comeback in the early 1990s, Redd died of pneumonia on May 1, 1992. Dance Music Report magazine reported that her death was AIDS-related.[13]

In 1993, Pennye Ford dropped the 'e' from her name and released the album Penny Ford, which featured a duet with her sister entitled "Under Pressure."

Discography

Albums

Singles

† DNA featuring Sharon Redd

‡ Denotes tracks from US Dance-charting LP Redd Hot which included all cuts.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic.com
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 454. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ "Sharon Redd". Baltimore Afro-American. February 14, 1981. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Soulwalking.co.uk
  5. ↑ Billboard magazine, October, 1969.
  6. ↑ GTK (Ep 290, Broadcast April 13, 1971) on YouTube
  7. ↑ "Two blacks from 'Hair' get boot from Australia". The Miami News. April 9, 1971. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  8. ↑ "'Hair' players await visas". Sydney Morning Herald. April 30, 1971. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Rhoda" To Vegas with Love 13 March 1977 (Season 3, Episode 24)
  10. ↑ "Rhoda" Johnny's Solo Flight 11 December 1977 (Season 4, Episode 9)
  11. ↑ "Sharon Redd - IMDb". Akas.imdb.com. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  12. ↑ "Sharon Redd". The Staggering Harlettes. 1945-10-19. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  13. ↑ Andyboy (1992-05-22). "The First Cut". DMR. 15 (9): 3. The impact of AIDS on the dance music industry has been felt by many on an excruciatingly personal level. News this week of Prelude artist Sharon Redd's recent death due to AIDS once again brought reality into chillingly clear focus.
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