Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Veronica Crawford |
Born |
Macon, Georgia, United States | February 18, 1952
Genres | Jazz, R&B, disco, Smooth Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1975–present |
Labels |
Columbia (1972-1975) Warner Bros. (1976-1994) MCA (1979) WEA (1995-2000) PRA (2006-present) |
Associated acts | The Crusaders |
Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952, Macon, Georgia)[1] is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist.[1] She has had multiple top five hits in the UK, including her 1980 number 2 hit, "One Day I'll Fly Away".
Career
Crawford first performed at club gigs from Cincinnati to Saint-Tropez, but made her name in mid 1970s in New York, where she sang with jazzmen George Benson and Cannonball Adderley.[2] She signed with Columbia Records and released her first single, "Knock On Wood" / "If You Say the Word" in 1972.[3][4] Adderley invited her to sing on his album, Big Man: The Legend Of John Henry (1975).[5] During a brief tenure at Columbia Records, Crawford recorded "Don't Get Caught in Love's Triangle".[5] She is also one of the vocalists on "Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns – A Blow For Me, A Toot To You" LP from 1977.
In 1978, Crawford performed on the second solo album of former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. She sang vocals on "Hoping Love Will Last", the opening song on side two of Please Don't Touch.[6]
She led R&B veterans the Crusaders on the transatlantic hit "Street Life" (1979).[2] A specially re-recorded version was featured in the soundtrack for the films Sharky's Machine and Jackie Brown,[5] and appeared in commercials in the early 2000s. She later recorded for Warner Bros. Records. Crawford was named the 'Most Outstanding Performer' at the 1980 Tokyo Music Festival.[5]
Her follow-up solo efforts included "One Day I'll Fly Away" (1980); "You Might Need Somebody" (1981); and "Rainy Night in Georgia" (1981); which all became soul standards. The album, Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the UK Albums Chart for sixty weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the UK Top Ten with "Almaz" in 1986.[2] She continued to record for Warner Bros through the 1990s, but was unable to score either a big R&B hit or major crossover success.[5] Gary Wilmot impersonated Crawford on The Bob Monkhouse Show in the mid-1980s, doing cockney songs such as "Knees Up, Mother Brown".
Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included George Benson's "Give Me the Night", and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelicists Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and the Fred Wesley Horns.[2] She enjoyed her highest profile of the decade when rising starlet, Shola Ama, had a worldwide hit with her 1997 cover of "You Might Need Somebody".[2]
Crawford recorded a live session with Joe Sample on July 24, 2007, at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road. The episode she shared with David Gilmour and Amos Lee was screened on the Sundance Channel in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.
She has sung with Bootsy Collins, Johnny Bristol, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Rick Springfield, Steve Hackett, and Joe Sample amongst others.
Discography
Albums
Year | Album details | Chart positions[7][8][9] | Certifications[10] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B |
US Jazz |
UK | |||
1976 | Everything Must Change
|
— | — | — | — | |
1977 | Miss Randy Crawford
|
— | — | — | — | |
1979 | Raw Silk
|
— | 63 | 35 | — | |
1980 | Now We May Begin
|
180 | 30 | 14 | 10 | |
1981 | Secret Combination
|
71 | 12 | 9 | 2 | |
1982 | Windsong
|
148 | 24 | 16 | 7 | |
1983 | Nightline
|
164 | 41 | 24 | 37 | |
1986 | Abstract Emotions
|
178 | 53 | — | 14 | |
1989 | Rich and Poor
|
159 | 19 | 4 [A] | 63 | |
1992 | Through the Eyes of Love
|
— | 49 | 8 [A] | — | |
1993 | Don't Say It's Over
|
— | — | — | — | |
1995 | Naked And True
|
— | 40 | 3 [A] | — | |
1998 | Every Kind of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee | — | 70 | 2 [A] | — | |
2001 | Play Mode(aka Permanent)
|
— | — | 9 [A] | — | |
2006 | Feeling Good (with Joe Sample)
|
— | 77 | 3 | — | |
2008 | No Regrets (with Joe Sample)
|
— | — | 8 | — | |
2012 | Live (with Joe Sample)
|
— | — | 26 | — | |
- Notes
- A Peaked position on Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart.
Compilation albums
- The Competition (1980, soundtrack, Oscar nominated theme song "People Alone")
- Sharky's Machine (1981 soundtrack, new version of "Street Life")
- Greatest Hits (1984)
- Wildcats (1986 soundtrack, song "Don't Wanna Be Normal")
- Love Songs (1987)
- The Very Best of Randy Crawford (1993)
- Best of Randy Crawford (1996)
- Jackie Brown (1997, soundtrack, "Street Life" – Sharky's Machine newer version)
- Best of Randy Crawford and Friends (2000)
- Love Songs: The Very Best of Randy Crawford (2000)
- Hits (2002)
- The Ultimate Collection (2005)
- Pop-Jazz Volume One (2006)
- The Best of Randy Crawford (2011)
Singles
Most of the following singles charted in various countries.
Year | Song title | US R&B[11] | UK Singles Chart[1] | NL Top 40 | SE Top 20 | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | "Street Life" – with The Crusaders | 17, 36 Pop | 5 | 13 | 8 | Street Life |
1980 | "Same Old Story (Same Old Song)" | 34 | - | 23 | - | Now We May Begin |
"Last Night at Danceland" | 68 | 61 | - | - | ||
"One Day I'll Fly Away" | - | 2 | 1 | - | ||
1981 | "People Alone" (Love Theme from The Competition) | - | - | 25 | - | The Competition |
"When I Lose My Way" | 58 | - | - | - | Secret Combination | |
"You Might Need Somebody" | - | 11 | - | - | ||
"Rainy Night in Georgia" | - | 18 | 17 | - | ||
"Secret Combination" | 70 | 48 | - | - | ||
1982 | "Imagine" (Live) – with the Yellowjackets | 69,108 BUB UNDER | 60 | - | 15 | Casino Lights |
"One Hello" | 50,110 BUB UNDER | 48 | 35 | - | Windsong | |
"Look Who's Lonely Now" | 68 | - | - | - | ||
"Your Precious Love" (Live) – with Al Jarreau | 16,102 BUB UNDER | - | - | - | Casino Lights | |
"Give Peace a Chance" (Live) | - | - | - | 6 | Windsong | |
1983 | "He Reminds Me" | - | 65 | - | - | |
"Nightline" | 91 | 51 | 19 | 15 | Nightline | |
1984 | "Taxi Dancing" – with Rick Springfield | 58 POP, 16 A/C | - | - | - | |
1986 | "Can't Stand the Pain" | 58 | - | - | - | Abstract Emotions |
"Desire" | 90 | - | - | - | ||
"Almaz" | - | 4 | - | - | ||
1989 | "Knocking on Heaven's Door" – featuring Eric Clapton and David Sanborn | 4 | 77 | 10 | - | Rich and Poor |
1990 | "Wrap-U-Up" | 15 | - | - | - | |
"I Don't Feel Much Like Crying" | 16 | - | - | - | ||
"Cigarette in the Rain" | 38 | - | - | - | ||
1992 | "Diamante" (with Zucchero) | - | 44 | - | - | Through the Eyes of Love |
"Who's Crying Now" – featuring Joe Sample | 30 | - | - | - | ||
"A Lot That You Can Do" | 74 | - | - | - | ||
1995 | "Forget Me Nots" | - | - | - | - | |
1996 | "Give Me the Night" | 47 | 60 | - | - | Naked and True |
"Cajun Moon" | 65 | - | - | - | ||
1998 | "Bye Bye" | - | - | - | - | Every Kind of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee |
"Silence" | 76 | - | - | - | ||
"Wishing on a Star" | - | - | - | - |
Guest appearances
- Please Don't Touch (1978) by Steve Hackett (1 track: Hoping Love Will Last).
- Zucchero Live at the Kremlin (1991) by Zucchero (2 tracks: Come Il Sole All'improvviso and Imagine).
- Hard to Hold (1984) by Rick Springfield (1 track: Taxi Dancing).
- La Noche (1995) by Presuntos Implicados (1 track: Fallen).
Awards
- 1982 BRIT Awards – Best female solo artist.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 125. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 100. ISBN 0-85112-072-5.
- ↑ Billboard Magazine, Issue 84. Billboard. 1972-10-14. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ↑ "Biography for Randy Crawford (I)". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Biography by Ron Wynn". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- ↑ Collins, Phil; Banks, Tony; Gabriel, Peter; Mike Rutheford, Steve Hackett (2007). Genesis: Chapter and Verse. Macmillan. p. 186. ISBN 0312379560.
- ↑ "Randy Crawford US chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ↑ "Randy Crawford US chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-03-05-20. Check date values in:
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(help) - ↑ "UK Charts > Randy Crawford". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ↑ "US Certifications > Randy Crawford". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "Allmusic ((( Randy Crawford > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))".
External links
- Complete discography (including sideworks) at music-was-my-first-love.com
- Randy Crawford biography at musicianguide.com
- Randy Crawford at Vh1
- Randy Crawford at the Internet Movie Database
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