Cheryl Lynn
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Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith, 11 March 1957, in Los Angeles, California) is a disco, R&B and soul singer best known for her 1979 disco classic, "Got to Be Real".
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[edit] Early career
Lynn's singing career began when she was a young girl in her church choir. But her professional singing career started in 1976 when she landed a job as a backing singer in the national touring company of The Wiz before landing the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Probably the most famous contestant to appear on the much-maligned The Gong Show, she won the competition in 1976 while singing Joe Cocker's You Are So Beautiful. Lynn later told Dick Clark during her appearance on American Bandstand that record industry executives were calling about her soon after the win.
[edit] Success and Later Career
After signing with Columbia Records, Lynn released her self-titled debut album, Cheryl Lynn. Produced by Toto keyboardist David Paich, the LP featured her first and biggest hit, "Got to Be Real," which was penned by Paich and Lynn, and has since been called one of the defining moments in disco. The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the R&B chart. Lynn would score subsequent successes with such songs as 1979's "Star Love", 1981's "Shake It Up Tonight," "If This World Were Mine" - a 1982 duet with Luther Vandross that covered a Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell song, 1984's '"Encore" (#1 R&B hit) - which was written and produced by the Minneapolis funk duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and 1989's "Every Time I Try To Say Goodbye."
Cheryl also provided the female backing vocal on the single, "Georgy Porgy," by the pop-rock band Toto, from their 1979 debut album. Although the band charted more than a dozen pop hits throughout the years, it was Lynn's vocal on "Georgy Porgy" that aided the group in charting their one and only R&B (#18) and Dance (#80) hit on Billboard.
In 1995 Lynn teamed up with producer/songwriter Teddy Riley, (formally of the New Jack Swing group Guy), to record her latest album, to date, Good Time. It was released in Japan, the UK and later in the United States as an imported CD and featured the club favorite single "Guarantee For My Heart." In 1996, Sony Records/Legacy released Got to Be Real - The Best Of Cheryl Lynn, which included the track "Love Bomb", originally from the In Love album, written by Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue. Two years later she performed on HBO's Sinbad's Summer Soul Jam 4 (1998), hosted by comedian Sinbad (actor).
[edit] 2000-Present
During the new millennium Cheryl has kept herself busy touring Japan and doing the occasional gig in the U.S., performing at charity events in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2000 she worked with Hip-Hop artist J Supreme on his single "Your Love (Encore)," which was an update of her #1 1984 hit "Encore." She performed on ABC's The Disco Ball...A 30-Year Celebration, which aired in January 2003. In 2004 she recorded the song, "Sweet Kind Of Life," which was also written and produced by Jam & Lewis, for the animated film and soundtrack to Shark Tale.
On September 19, 2005, Lynn's signature song "Got to Be Real" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. On May 23, 2006 Collectables Record Label released Cheryl's 1981 album In The Night and 1982's Instant Love, in a 2-in-1 CD package. It was the first time ever that either album was released as a CD in the U.S. Today Cheryl is preparing a comeback and is in the process of working on a brand new album, currently scheduled to be released sometime in 2008.
Cheryl Lynn is considered an influence on some of today's R&B female singers, including Mary J. Blige, who, along with Will Smith, covered Lynn's signature song ("Got to Be Real"), also for the soundtrack of the animated film Shark Tale.
[edit] Vocal Profile
Andrew Hamilton of All Music Guide describes Cheryl Lynn to be one of the most explosive female singers with an awesome multi-octave range[1]. Andrew Hamilton goes further to state that Cheryl is a singer's singer whose voice is an exciting, warm and compelling instrument. Wilson & Alroy in their review of Cheryl Lynn's debut album states she 'has a smooth, comfortable voice - even when she's belting or leaping into Minnie Riperton territory, it's somehow soothing.'[2]. In review of her second album, David Bertrand Wilson (of Wilson & Alroy) stated that "she holds such high notes so long she sounds like she haunts houses in her spare time." Ron Wynn, another All Music Guide reviewer credit Cheryl Lynn for possessing a searing, often captivating voice and great range[3].
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1978: Cheryl Lynn (Columbia) - US Pop #23, US R&B #5
- 1980: In Love (Columbia) - US Pop #167, US R&B #47
- 1981: In The Night (Columbia) - US Pop #104, US R&B #14
- 1982: Instant Love (Columbia) - US Pop #133, US R&B #7
- 1984: Preppie (Columbia) - US Pop #161, US R&B #8
- 1985: It's Gonna Be Right (Columbia) - US Pop #202, US R&B #56
- 1987: Start Over (Manhattan) - US R&B #55
- 1989: Whatever It Takes (Virgin) - US R&B #42
- 1995: Good Time (Avex Trax)
[edit] Compilation
- 1996: Got To Be Real: The Best of Cheryl Lynn (Columbia)
- 1996: The Real Thing (Sony)
- 1996: Got To Be (Remix) (Avex Trax)
[edit] Singles
- 1978: "Got to Be Real" - US Pop #12, US R&B #1, US Dance #11
- 1979: "Star Love" - US Pop #62, US R&B #16
- 1980: "I've Got Faith in You" - US R&B #41
- 1980: "Keep It Hot" - US Dance #12
- 1981: "Shake It Up Tonight" - US Pop #70, US R&B #5, US Dance #5
- 1981: "In the Night" - US R&B #79
- 1982: "Instant Love" - US R&B #16
- 1982: "If This World Were Mine" (with Luther Vandross} - US R&B #4
- 1983: "Look Before You Leap" - R&B #77
- 1984: "Encore" - US Pop #69, US R&B #1, US Dance #6, UK #68
- 1984: "Preppie" - US R&B #85
- 1984: "This Time" - US R&B #49
- 1985: "At Last You're Mine" - US R&B #34
- 1985: "Fidelity" - US R&B #25
- 1985: "Fade to Black" - US R&B #85
- 1987: "New Dress" - US R&B #34,
- 1987: "If You Were Mine" - US R&B #11, US Dance #28
- 1989: "Everytime I Try To Say Goodbye" - US R&B #7
- 1989: "Whatever It Takes" - US R&B #26
