Rita Coolidge

Rita Coolidge - Heartbreak Radio - 1981 - A&M

Born in Lafayette, near Nashville in 1945, the daughter of a Baptist minister, Rita Coolidge originally established herself as a backup vocalist. With her smoky sweet voice, intelligence, and her funky Dusty Springfield/Memphis like soul vocals, she soon became a session vocalist for artists like Delaney & Bonnie and Leon Russell. Her first important public appearance was in 1970 when she was invited to tour with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs And Englishmen entourage, where she became the vocal anchor of Cocker's space choir. Rita even got a showcase spot on these Joe Cocker concerts, singing the great Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song, "Superstar." She was eventually signed by the great A&M label. She eventually achieved worldwide acclaim in 1977, with her "Anytime-Anywhere album", which produced three Top 20 hits. Later albums became more commercial and she drifted away from her great roots music background. However, in 1971 all the elements were firmly in place. Her early '80's album, "Heartbreak Radio" posted here is often regarded as a West Coast "country" album, but it also contains some jazzy soul blues and folk rock songs. Judy covers two Allen Toussaint songs, Carole King's "Walk On In", and Bacharach & David's "Wishin' and Hopin'" and others. Some of the artists on the album include Andrew Gold, Dean Parks, Bill Payne, Lenny Castro, and the late great Jeff Porcaro. A classy album from a classy Delta Lady. Listen to her "Out of the Blues" album, and check out her 1971 S/T album @ RITACOOL/OOTB

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Walk on In - Carole King
2 One More Heartache - Robert Rogers, William Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Ronald White, Lauren Moore
3 Closer You Get - Mark Gray, James P. Pennington
4 Wishin' and Hopin' - Burt Bacharach, Hal David
5 Heartbreak Radio - Troy Seals, Frankie Miller
6 Man and Woman - Jerry Riopelle, John Harris
7 I Did My Part - Naomi Neville aka Allen Toussaint
8 Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing) - Will Jennings, Joe Sample
9 Basic Lady - Allen Toussaint
10 Stranger to Me Now - Donna Weiss, Mary Unobsky
11 Take It Home - Wilton Felder, Will Jennings

MUSICIANS

Rita Coolidge - Vocals
Andrew Gold - Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Dean Parks, Fred Tackett, Richard Wachtel - Guitar
Bob Glaub - Bass
Bill Payne, Mike Utley - Keyboards
Jeff Porcaro, Russ Kunkel, Michael Botts - Drums
Tom Saviano - Saxophone
Nick DeCaro - Accordion
David Campbell - Strings
Kenny Edwards, Lenny Castro, Brock Walsh, J.D. Souther, William D. "Smitty" Smith, Maureen McDonald, Nicolette Larson - Vocals

BIO

A versatile singer blessed with a clear, pure voice, Rita Coolidge was a capable stylist in rock, pop, R&B, country, and folk, and was a hugely in-demand session vocalist outside of her own solo recording career. Born near Nashville, TN, in the town of Lafayette in 1945, Coolidge was part Cherokee and first sang in the church where her father was a minister. She studied art at Florida State University, but also sang and wrote songs on the side, and decided to give music a shot before settling into teaching. She moved to Memphis after graduation and worked singing commercial jingles, sometimes with her sister, Priscilla, and soon landed a job touring with Delaney & Bonnie as a backup vocalist. She subsequently relocated to Los Angeles, where she sang on recording sessions by the likes of Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, and Joe Cocker, among others. After returning from the supporting tour for Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Coolidge landed her own solo contract with A&M. Coolidge's self-titled debut album was released in 1971, but despite critical acclaim for it and the follow-up, Nice Feelin', she failed to break through commercially. Over the course of the next few years, she moved into country-rock and Southern California soft rock, working territory not too dissimilar from Linda Ronstadt. She also married progressive country singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson in 1973, the same year she recorded a duet album with him titled Full Moon. Full Moon topped the country charts, and "From the Bottle to the Bottom" won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. The following year, the couple released a follow-up, Breakaway, whose "Lover Please" won them another Grammy in the same category. Coolidge finally broke through in her own right with 1977's Anytime, Anywhere, a collection of well-chosen covers with a strong R&B bent. Paced by the hit singles "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" (a Jackie Wilson cover that went to number two pop), "We're All Alone" (Top Ten), and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (a Top 20 Temptations cover), Anytime, Anywhere climbed into the Top Ten and sold over a million copies. Coolidge and Kristofferson released one final duet album, Natural Act, in 1979, but their marriage was on the rocks, and they separated by the end of the year. Coolidge never repeated the pop success of Anytime, Anywhere, but she did continue to land hits on the adult contemporary charts through the early '80s, including "You," "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love," and "All Time High" (the theme for the James Bond flick Octopussy). She parted ways with A&M after 1984's Inside the Fire, and spent some time away from the music business to devote herself to various social causes. She returned to recording with 1992's Love Lessons, on Critique, and went on to cut several albums for other small labels during the latter half of the '90s. 1995's Cherokee, in particular, signaled a renewed interest in her Native American musical heritage, and she teamed up with her sister, Priscilla, and her niece, Laura Satterfield, to form Walela, which explored those roots in greater detail over two albums in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Several anthology collections were released in the early 2000s; And So Is Love, an album of traditional jazz standards, marked Coolidge's first release for Concord in 2005. © Steve Huey © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difyxqw5ldte~T1