Janis Hansen (singer)

Janis S. Hansen is an American singer, producer and writer.

Early career

Hansen joined Lani Hall as one of the singers in the group Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66. She is the voice in "The Look of Love" (which hit the charts six months after she left the group).

Leading off their first album for A&M, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil ‘66's explosive cover of Jorge Ben Jor's "Mas Que Nada" became their first hit. Hall (who was double-tracked on the album) and Hansen (who joined when Herb Alpert hired the group to open for the Tijuana Brass road tour) learned the lyrics phonetically but the upbeat rhythm and lively vocal harmonies were enough to hook American listeners. Hansen joined a line that included Bob Matthews (bass), Jose Soares (percussion) and Joao Palma (drums). She was in the group from 1966-1968.

Hansen did not sing on their first album: "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66",^[1] and did not appear on the cover of the album, rather, that was Brazilian singer Bibi Vogel. When Vogel decided to leave the group, Hansen replaced her and did most of the TV shows and toured worldwide, although Vogel performed at the Carnegie Hall concert that opened their coast-to-coast American tour. This explains why all the CD reissues of "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66" ignore Vogel and wrongly credit Hansen as the second vocalist.^[2]

Hansen sang on the albums "Equinox" and "Look Around". She left the group in 1968 and was replaced by Karen Philipp.

After Brasil '66

She formed The Carnival in late 1967 with fellow ex-Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 band member Jose Soares, along with ex-Murmaid/Kim Fowley protégé Terry Fischer ("Popsicles and Icicles").^[3] The Carnival's Brasil '66-meets-The-Fifth-Dimension sound was largely the brainchild of legendary producer and engineer Bones Howe. Bones gathered L.A.'s finest "Wrecking Crew" studio musicians (Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, etc.) for this, the Carnival's sole album.^[3]

After The Carnival, Hansen went on to sing the praises of Ford automobiles in a band called "The Going Thing",^[4] with John and Tom Bahler of "The Love Generation". They appeared in television commercials, performed at dealers conventions and recorded three promotional giveaway albums. The band included guitarist Larry Carlton.^[5]

Later career

After concluding her singing career, Hansen turned to writing and production. She was a vice president at RDK Productions and was a key force in the development of The Bible Adventure Club project, writing the stories (illustrated by Wendy Francisco) and songs and guiding the artistic overview of the entire series. The series, aimed at children 3–7 years old, has produced five books in all. ^[6]

Bibliography

• Hansen, Janis S., Wendy Francisco (illustrator), Creation: God's Wonderful Gift, Crossway Books, with CD-rom, 36p,ISBN 978-1-58134-295-6
• Hansen, J., Wendy Francisco (illustrator), David and His Giant Battle, Crossway Books, with CD-rom, 36p, ISBN 978-1-58134-324-3
• Hansen, J., Wendy Francisco (illustrator), Jesus: The Birthday of the King, Crossway Books, 36p, with CD-rom, ISBN 978-1-58134-334-2
• Hansen, J., Wendy Francisco (illustrator), Jonah and His Amazing Voyage, Crossway Books, 36p, with CD-rom, ISBN 978-1-58134-329-8
• Hansen, J., Wendy Francisco (illustrator), Noah and the Incredible Flood, Crossway Books, 36p, with CD-rom, ISBN 978-1-58134-339-7

References