Lorraine Ellison
| Lorraine Ellison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marybelle Luraine Ellison |
| Born |
March 17, 1931 Philadelphia, United States |
| Died | January 31, 1983 (aged 51)[1] |
| Genres | Soul, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1964–1976 |
| Labels |
Mercury Records Warner Bros. Records Loma Records |
Lorraine Ellison (March 17, 1931 – January 31, 1983)[1] was an American soul singer known for her recording of the song "Stay with Me"[2] (sometimes known as "Stay With Me Baby") in 1966.
Life and career
Born Marybelle Luraine Ellison,[3] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ellison originally sang gospel music, working in the groups the Ellison Singers and the Golden Chords in the early 1960s. She switched to the R&B genre in 1964. Her first chart entry was "I Dig You Baby" in 1965[4] on Mercury Records, which reached #22 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart chart.
She signed with Warner Bros. Records, and in 1966 recorded "Stay with Me" at a last minute booking, following a studio cancellation by Frank Sinatra.[5] "Stay with Me" reached number 11 in the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and number 64 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was produced and written by Jerry Ragovoy. Later releases were on the subsidiary soul music record label, Loma.[6] Her follow-up single was "Heart Be Still" a minor hit in 1967.[7] Ellison also recorded "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)", a song later covered to more success by Janis Joplin.[6]
Ellison composed many of her own songs (by herself and with manager Sam Bell) and had her own compositions recorded by several other artists, including Jerry Butler, Garnet Mimms, Howard Tate and Dee Dee Warwick.
Twice-married and using the surname Gonzalez-Keys, Lorraine Ellison gave up the music business in order to take care of her mother. Ellison died in January 1983 from ovarian cancer at the age of 51.[8]
Album discography
- Heart and Soul – 1966 – Warner
- Stay with Me – 1969
- Lorraine Ellison – 1974
- The Best of Philadelphia's Queen – 1976 – Compilation album
- Stay with Me: The Best of Lorraine Ellison – 1995 – Compilation album
- Sister Love: The Warner Bros. Recordings – 2006 – Compilation album
References
- 1 2 The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 1980s
- ↑ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955–2002, 2003, ISBN 0-89820-155-1
- ↑ Users.fortress.com
- ↑ Hogan, Ed (1985-08-17). "Lorraine Ellison at Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ↑ "Songfacts.com". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- 1 2 "Loma Records discography". Lomarecords.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ↑ "Allmusic.com". Allmusic.com. 1985-08-17. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ↑ Moon, Tom. "Npr.org/templates". Npr.org. Retrieved 2010-05-08.