Randy Crawford
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| Randy Crawford | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Veronica Crawford |
| Born | February 18, 1952 Macon, Georgia, United States |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1970s - present |
Randy Crawford (born Veronica Crawford, February 18, 1952, in Macon, Georgia), is an American jazz and R&B singer.
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[edit] 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. Along the way she has sung with Bootsy Collins, Johnny Bristol, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau and others.
She then led R&B veterans The Crusaders on the TransAtlantic big hit "Street Life" (1979). This song stayed atop the U.S. jazz chart for twenty weeks and has since become both a rare groove and disco classic. It was featured in the soundtrack for the film Sharky's Machine and appeared in commercials in the early 2000s. Her follow up solo efforts included "One Day I'll Fly Away" (1980, Grand Prize for Tokyo International Music Festival and UK #2); "You Might Need Somebody" (1981); and "Rainy Night in Georgia" (1981); which all became soul standards. The album, Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the Billboard album chart for sixty weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the Top Ten with "Almaz" in 1986.
Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included Benson's "Give Me The Night", and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelicists Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and The Fred Wesley Horns. 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".
[edit] Discography
[edit] Hit singles
The following singles charted in various countries.
| Year | Song title | USA R&B | UK Top 75 | NL Top 40 | SE Top 20 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Street Life" (With The Crusaders) | 17 | 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) | 69 | 60 | - | 15 | Casino Lights |
| "One Hello" | 50 | 48 | 35 | - | Windsong | |
| "Look Who's Lonely Now" | 68 | - | - | - | ||
| "Your Precious Love" (Live) - With Al Jarreau | 16 | - | - | - | Casino Lights | |
| "Give Peace a Chance" (Live) | - | - | - | 6 | Windsong | |
| 1983 | "He Reminds Me" | - | 65 | - | - | |
| "Nightline" | 28 | 51 | 19 | 15 | Nightline | |
| 1986 | "Can't Stand the Pain" | 58 | - | - | - | Abstract Emotions |
| "Desire" | 90 | - | - | - | ||
| "Almaz" | - | 4 | - | - | ||
| 1989 | "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Featuring Eric Clapton & 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 | - | - | - | ||
| 1996 | "Give Me the Night" | 47 | 60 | - | - | Naked and True |
| "Cajun Moon" | 65 | - | - | - | ||
| 1998 | "Bye Bye" | 49 (Air) | - | - | - | Every Kind of Mood |
| "Silence" | 76 | - | - | - | ||
| "Wishing on a Star" | - | 101 | - | - |
[edit] Albums
- Everything Must Change (1976)
- Miss Randy Crawford (1977)
- Raw Silk (1979)
- Now We May Begin (1980)
- Secret Combination (1981)
- Windsong (1982)
- Nightline (1983)
- Abstract Emotions (1986)
- Rich and Poor (1989)
- Through the Eyes of Love (1992)
- Don't Say It's Over (1993)
- Naked and True (1995)
- Every Kind of Mood: Randy, Randi, Randee (1997)
- Play Mode (aka Permanent) (2000)
- Feeling Good (with Joe Sample) (2006)
- No Regrets (with Joe Sample) (2008)
[edit] Compilations
- 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)
[edit] Awards
- 1982 BRIT Awards - Best British female solo artist
[edit] Guest appearances
- "Hoping Love Will Last", on Steve Hackett's album Please Don't Touch.
- "Come Il Sole All'improvviso" & "Imagine" on Zucchero's album "Live At The Kremlin".
[edit] Abbey Road
Randy Crawford recorded a live session with Joe Sample on 24 July 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 USA and Channel 4 in the UK.
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
