Marlena Shaw

Marlena Shaw is a singer. Born Marlina Burgess in 1942, New Rochelle, New York. Marlena Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music crossed genre boundaries and was enjoyed by people of all races. Her strongest fan base was in the African American community. Her music has reached out and touched all forms of music, and is still seen today as samples in hip hop songs, and in commercials on TV. She was first introduced to music by her uncle Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpet player. In an interview with The New York Times, she told the reporter “He [Jimmy Burgess] introduced me to good music through records---Dizzy [Gillespie], Miles [Davis], a lot of gospel things, and Al Hibbler, who really knows how to phrase a song.” In 1952, her uncle Jimmy brought her on stage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to sing with him and his band. This was her first performance, and the audience loved her. Shaw’s mother did not want her daughter to go on tour with her uncle at such a young age and refused to let her go. Instead, she enrolled Shaw into the New York State Teachers College in Potsdam (now known as the State University of New York at Potsdam) to study music. She later dropped out of school, got married, and had five children. She did not give up on her singing career. She began to make singing appearances in jazz clubs whenever she could spare the time. This most notable of these appearances was in 1963 when she worked with jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee. She was supposed to play at the famous Newport Jazz Festival with McGhee and his band, but left the group after getting into an argument with one of the band members. Later that year, she got an audition with legendary Columbia label talent scout John Hammond. John Hammond had discovered talents including Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan. Shaw did not perform well during the audition because she was too nervous. Undiscouraged, she continued to play at small clubs in 1964 until 1966. Her career took off in 1966 when she landed a gig with the Playboy Club chain in Chicago. It was through this gig that she met with representatives the music label Chess Records, and soon signed with them.^[1] Shaw was discovered by Chess Records in 1966. She released her first two albums on their subsidiary Cadet Records. She moved to Blue Note Records in 1972, and was that label's first female artist. She also recorded one of the Disco Era's biggest hits - a remake of "Touch Me in the Morning" on Columbia Records. Shaw still performs and records today. In the year 2001 and in 2007 Marlena Shaw was one of the performers at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

Selected discography

Cadet

• Out of Different Bags (1967)
• The Spice of Life (1969)

Blue Note

• Marlena (1972)
• Live At Montreux (1973)
• Who is This Bitch, Anyway? (1974)
• Just a Matter of Time (1976)

Columbia

• Sweet Beginnings (1977)
• Acting Up (1978)
• Take A Bite (1980)

South Bay

• Let Me In Your Life (1982)

Verve

• It Is Love (1986)
• Love Is In Flight (1988)

Concord Jazz

• Dangerous (1996)
• Elemental Soul (1997)

Soul Brother Records

• Anthology (2000)

Samples

• Blue Boy's "Remember Me" (1996) includes sample from "Woman of the Ghetto" from the Live At Montreux album

• DJ Day "Gone Bad" Melting Pot Records (2005) includes sample from "Liberation Conversation" from the Spice of Life album

• St. Germain sample from "Woman of the Ghetto" from Live at Montreux used in "Rose Rouge" on Tourist (2000)

• DJ Shadow sampled her version of "California Soul" for "Midnight in a Perfect World" on Endtroducing, while DJ Premier also sampled the same song for the Gang Starr track "Check the Technique", and Adam Freeland sampled the track for "F.E.A.R." - this is more prominent on the version used as the soundtrack to 'Area 05' in the 2001 videogame REZ. Faze Action's track "Broad Souls" also uses a sample from California Soul. In addition, Syler's lead single off "Syler presents The Empire State of Mind", entitled "Holden My Own" uses the California Soul sample.

• 9th Wonder and Buckshot also sampled "Woman of the Ghetto" in the track "Ghetto", and Evil Dee (of Black Moon)'s remix of the same song.

• Spanish hip-hop group Violadores del Verso uses a sample from "Woman of the Ghetto" for the base of their song "Balantains"

• Dutch beer brand Grolsch used a sample of "California Soul" for a Dutch television commercial.

• Jay Rock feat. The Game "California Soul" (2007) rap song samples "California Soul".

• "Squire for Hire" Nathan Haines (Chillifunk records 2003) features Marlena Shaw vocals on the title track "Squire for Hire".

• "California Soul" is played on the 2003 remake of The Italian Job. The song, however, does not appear on the movie's soundtrack.

• In 2008, "California Soul" is used in a Docker's commercial.

• Rapper Ador sampled this in 1992 on his song let it all hang out by Pete rock .

• Rapper Qwel (Typical Cats, Galapagos4) sampled Marlena Shaw's song "You" on his song "The Highest Commitment" on the album "If it Ain't Been in the Pawn Shop, it Can't Play the Blues."

• Producer Diplo remixed the track "California Soul" for the recent compilation The Verve Remixed Vol. 4.

References

1. ^ http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004470/Marlena-Shaw.html

• Marlena Shaw interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 09

This article about a United States rhythm and blues singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e