Rita Coolidge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rita Coolidge | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rita Coolidge |
| Born | May 1, 1945 |
| Origin | Lafayette, Tennessee |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Adult Contemporary, Country, Native American |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969–Present |
| Label(s) | A&M Records |
| Associated acts | Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson |
| Website | Rita Coolidge Official Site |
Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette, Tennessee) is a Grammy Award-winning American singer. She is of Cherokee Native American descent.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Rita Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention.
[edit] The Delta Lady
She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
[edit] Solo career
She had several solo hit singles during the late 1970s with cover versions. Her first hit, "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher," a cover of the Jackie Wilson song, was also her highest seller, reaching number two on the U.S. charts in 1977. She followed that with Boz Scaggs's "We're All Alone" which reached number seven later that same year.
Other hits were "One Fine Day" (written by Carole King and a hit for the 1960s girl group the Chiffons, "We're All Alone" (originally recorded by Boz Scaggs and also covered by Frankie Valli), "Words" (The Bee Gees), "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (written by Danny Whitten), "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (The Temptations), and "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" (Carole Bayer Sager). In 1980 Coolidge also was the voice of Melissa Raccoon in the Christmas Raccoons, and reprised this role for a subsequent special The Raccoons on Ice in 1981. Both of these specials served as a predecessor to the critically-acclaimed Canadian animated series, The Raccoons.
She scored her last hit in 1983, with "All Time High" for the James Bond film Octopussy. Another well-known movie song, although not really a hit for Coolidge, was the love theme from the movie Splash, entitled "Love Came For Me".
In 2004, Coolidge released an anthology of her complete career, entitled Delta Lady — The Rita Coolidge Anthology.
In 2006, Coolidge released a jazz CD, And So Is Love. That same year, she toured the United Kingdom on the "Once in a Lifetime Country Tour" with Don Williams and Kenny Rogers.
[edit] Walela
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released studio albums in 1997 (Walela) and 2000 (Unbearable Love), a live album and DVD (Live in Concert) in 2004 and a complilation album (The Best of Walela) in 2007. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
[edit] Personal life
Coolidge married Kris Kristofferson in 1973 and they have one daughter, Casey. Her marriage to Kristofferson ended in 1980.
Before her marriage to Kristofferson, Coolidge had romantic liaisons with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash; her leaving Stills for Nash has been cited as a contributing factor behind Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's initial breakup in 1970.[2] David Crosby memorialized this situation in his song "Cowboy Movie" (from the album If I Could Only Remember My Name, 1971); Coolidge is the "sweet little Indian girl" of the song. Stills has referenced his relationship with Coolidge in his work as well; he refers to her by the nickname "the Raven" in his song "Sit Yourself Down" (Stephen Stills, 1970) and similarly named one side of his first album with Manassas (Manassas, 1972) in her honor.
She graduated from Andrew Jackson Senior High located in Jacksonville, Florida in 1963.
She now lives in a small town located in southern California.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Hit singles
| Year | Song Title | Album | US Hot 100 | US AC | US Country | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "Turn Around and Love You" | (Single) | 96 | - | - | - |
| 1972 | "Fever" | The Lady's Not For Sale | 76 | - | - | - |
| 1973 | "My Crew" (B-side of "Fever") | - | 38 | - | - | |
| "Whiskey, Whiskey"1 | 106 | - | - | - | ||
| "A Song I'd Like to Sing" (with Kris Kristofferson) | Full Moon | 49 | 12 | 92 | - | |
| 1974 | "Loving Arms" (with Kris Kristofferson) | 86 | 25 | 98 | - | |
| "Rain" (with Kris Kristofferson) | Breakaway | - | 44 | 87 | - | |
| 1975 | "Lover Please" (with Kris Kristofferson) | - | 42 | - | - | |
| 1977 | "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher" | Anytime...Anywhere | 2 | 5 | - | 48 |
| "We're All Alone" | 7 | 1 | - | 6 | ||
| 1978 | "The Way You Do the Things You Do" | 20 | 9 | - | - | |
| "Words" | - | - | - | 25 | ||
| "You" | Love Me Again | 25 | 3 | - | - | |
| "Love Me Again" | 68 | 20 | - | - | ||
| 1979 | "One Fine Day" | Satisfied | 66 | 15 | - | - |
| "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" | 38 | 3 | - | - | ||
| 1980 | "Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like" (with Glen Campbell) | Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like | 42 | 39 | - | - |
| "Fool That I Am" | Coast To Coast Soundtrack. | 46 | 15 | - | - | |
| 1981 | "The Closer You Get"² | Heartbreak Radio | 103 | - | - | - |
| 1983 | "All Time High" | Octopussy Soundtrack | 36 | 1 | - | 75 |
| "Only You" | Never Let You Go | - | 37 | - | - | |
| 1984 | "Something Said Love" | Inside The Fire | - | 15 | - | - |
1"Whiskey, Whiskey" did not chart on the Hot 100, but reached number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
²"The Closer You Get" did not chart on the Hot 100, but reached number three on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
[edit] Albums
| Title | Release Date |
Label | US Billboard Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rita Coolidge | Feb 1971 | A&M | 105 | |
| Nice Feelin' | Nov 1971 | 135 | ||
| The Lady’s Not For Sale | Oct 1972 | 46 | ||
| Full Moon (with Kris Kristofferson) | 1973 | 26 | First duet album for Kris and Rita | |
| Fall Into Spring | Apr 1974 | 55 | Unreleased on CD | |
| Breakaway (with Kris Kristofferson) | 1974 | Monument | 103 | Second duet album for Kris and Rita |
| It’s Only Love | Nov 1975 | A&M | 85 | Unreleased on CD |
| Anytime…Anywhere | Mar 1977 | 6 | Limited release on CD in Japan in early 90s only | |
| Love Me Again | May 1978 | 32 | ||
| Natural Act | 1978 | 106 | Third and final duet album for Kris and Rita | |
| Satisfied | Sep 1979 | 95 | Limited release on CD in Japan in early 90s only | |
| Greatest Hits | 1980 | 107 | ||
| Heartbreak Radio | Aug 1981 | 160 | Unreleased on CD | |
| Never Let You Go | Oct 1983 | - | ||
| Inside The Fire | 1984 | - | ||
| Fire Me Back | 1990 | Attic | - | CD unreleased in the US. Later available as Someday in other territories |
| Dancing With An Angel | 1991 | - | CD not released in the United States | |
| Love Lessons | 1992 | Caliber/Critique | - | First United States release since 1984. Released in some territories as Cherokee |
| For You | 1993 | Alpha | - | CD unreleased in the US |
| Behind The Memories | Jul 1995 | Pony Canyon | - | |
| Out Of The Blues | 1996 | Beacon | - | Nine songs recorded in 1975. Released in some territories as Book Of Songs |
| Thinkin’ About You | 1998 | Innerworks | - | Released in some territories as Letting You Go With Love |
| 'And So Is Love | 2005 | Concord | - |
[edit] References
- ^ All Things Cherokee: Article - Guess Who's a Cherokee - Rita Coolidge
- ^ Zimmer, Dave, and Diltz, Henry (1984). Crosby Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography (First edition), St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-17660-0.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Sheena Easton For Your Eyes Only, 1981 |
James Bond title artist Octopussy (All Time High), 1983 |
Succeeded by Duran Duran A View to a Kill (song), 1985 |
