Rita Coolidge
| Rita Coolidge | |
|---|---|
 Rita Coolidge performing at an outdoor concert in Seattle in September 2002. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rita Coolidge |
| Born | May 1, 1945 |
| Origin | Lafayette, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Pop, adult contemporary, country, Native American,[1] soft rock |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | A&M, Monument, Attic, Alpha, Spectrum, Pony Canyon, Caliber/Critique, Beacon, Innerworks, Concord |
| Associated acts | Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Cocker |
| Website | www.ritacoolidge.com |
Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's pop, country, adult contemporary and jazz charts[1] and won multiple Grammy Awards.
Contents |
Early Life [edit]
Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. She is of Scottish and Cherokee ancestry.[2][3]
Career [edit]
Coolidge is a graduate of Florida State University. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her.[4] In November 1970, she met Kris Kristofferson at the Los Angeles airport when they were both catching the same flight to Tennessee and he got off in Memphis with her rather than go on to his originally intended stop in Nashville; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned the duo a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for "From the Bottle to the Bottom", and in 1976 for "Lover Please". Willie Nelson references her in Devil in a Sleepin' Bag on Shotgun Willie thus:
- Just got back from New York City
- Kris (Kristofferson) and Rita (Coolidge) done it all
- Bought perfection there for all the world to see
- Lord, I heard an angel singing in that Philharmonic Hall
- Rita Coolidge, Rita Coolidge, cleft for me
Coolidge's greatest success on the pop charts came during 1977-1978 with four consecutive top 25 hits. The list consisted of covers of Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher", Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone", and The Temptations' "The Way You Do The Things You Do", followed by "You".
Personal life [edit]
Coolidge married Tatsuya Suda (mistakenly referred to as "Sudaon" by the Chicago Tribune) on June 19, 2012 in the Cook Islands.[5] Coolidge was married to Kris Kristofferson from 1973–1980.[1] They have one daughter, Casey. Coolidge previously had romantic liaisons with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash; her leaving Stills for Nash has been cited as a contributing factor behind the initial 1970 breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.[6] She was also involved with Leon Russell and Joe Cocker during their days on tour with Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Coolidge now lives in Fallbrook, California. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.[7]
Walela [edit]
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released studio albums in 1997 (Walela) and 2000 (Unbearable Love), a live album and DVD (Live in Concert) in 2004 and a compilation album (The Best of Walela) in 2007.[8] Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
Discography [edit]
Albums (North American) [edit]
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Country | CAN | |||
| 1971 | Rita Coolidge | 105 | — | 71 | A&M |
| Nice Feelin' | 135 | — | — | ||
| 1972 | The Lady's Not for Sale | 46 | — | 27 | |
| 1974 | Fall Into Spring | 55 | — | 41 | |
| 1975 | It's Only Love | 85 | — | — | |
| 1977 | Anytime...Anywhere | 6 | 23 | 4 | |
| 1978 | Love Me Again | 32 | — | 39 | |
| 1979 | Satisfied | 95 | — | 58 | |
| 1980 | Greatest Hits | 107 | — | 47 | |
| 1981 | Heartbreak Radio | 160 | — | — | |
| 1983 | Never Let You Go | — | — | — | |
| 1984 | Inside the Fire | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | Love Lessons | — | — | — | Caliber/Critique |
| 1996 | Out of the Blues | — | — | — | Beacon |
| 1998 | Thinkin' About You | — | — | — | Innerworks |
| 2005 | And So Is Love | — | — | — | Concord |
| 2012 | A Rita Coolidge Christmas | — | — | — | 429 Records |
Albums with Kris Kristofferson [edit]
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN | |||
| 1973 | Full Moon | 1 | 26 | 7 | A&M |
| 1974 | Breakaway | 19 | 103 | 81 | Monument |
| 1978 | Natural Act | 24 | 106 | — | A&M |
International albums [edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Fire Me Back | Attic |
| 1991 | Dancing with an Angel | |
| 1993 | For You | Alpha |
| 1995 | Behind the Memories | Pony Canyon |
Compilation albums [edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | All About Rita Coolidge (Japanese release) | A&M |
| 1980 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1987 | Classics Volume 5 | |
| 1991 | A&M Gold Series (West German release) | |
| 1994 | All Time High: Best of Rita Coolidge | |
| 1995 | The Collection (Australian release) | Spectrum |
| 1999 | Master Series | A&M |
| 2000 | 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection | |
| 2001 | Universal Masters Collection | |
| 2004 | Delta Lady - The Rita Coolidge Anthology |
Singles [edit]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | US Country | CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | UK[9] | |||
| 1969 | "Turn Around and Love You" | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| 1971 | "I Believe in You" | — | — | — | 38 | 16 | — | — | Rita Coolidge |
| 1972 | "Fever" | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Lady's Not for Sale |
| 1973 | "My Crew"A | flip | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Whiskey, Whiskey" | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "A Song I'd Like to Sing" (w/Kris Kristofferson) | 49 | 12 | 92 | 53 | 3 | 54 | — | Full Moon | |
| 1974 | "Loving Arms" (w/Kris Kristofferson) | 86 | 25 | 98 | 83 | 9 | — | — | |
| "Mama Lou" | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | Fall Into Spring | |
| "Rain" (w/Kris Kristofferson) | — | 44 | 87 | — | 40 | — | — | Breakaway | |
| 1975 | "Lover Please" (w/Kris Kristofferson) | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1977 | "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 48 | Anytime...Anywhere |
| "We're All Alone" | 7 | 1 | 82 | 5 | 1 | — | 6 | ||
| 1978 | "The Way You Do the Things You Do" | 20 | 9 | — | 16 | 6 | — | — | |
| "Words" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | ||
| "You" | 25 | 3 | — | 17 | 1 | — | — | Love Me Again | |
| "The Jealous Kind" | — | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Love Me Again" | 68 | 20 | 83 | 73 | 35 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Hello, Love, Goodbye" | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | |
| "One Fine Day" | 66 | 15 | — | 89 | 4 | — | — | Satisfied | |
| "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" | 38 | 3 | 32 | 87 | 1 | 24 | — | ||
| 1980 | "Somethin' Bout You Baby I Like" (w/Glen Campbell) |
42 | 39 | 60 | — | 36 | 23 | — | Somethin' Bout You Baby I Like (Glen Campbell album) |
| "Fool That I Am" | 46 | 15 | 72 | — | — | 52 | — | Coast to Coast soundtrack | |
| 1981 | "The Closer You Get" | 103 | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | Heartbreak Radio |
| 1983 | "Lake Freeze" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lake Freeze - The Raccoons Songtrack |
| "All Time High" | 36 | 1 | — | 38 | 1 | — | 75 | Octopussy soundtrack | |
| "Only You" | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | Never Let You Go | |
| 1984 | "Something Said Love" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | Inside the Fire |
| 1990 | "I Stand in Wonder" | — | — | — | 49 | 21 | — | — | Fire Me Back |
- A B-side of "Fever"
References [edit]
- ^ a b c [1] AllMusic.com Biography
- ^ "Article – Guess Who's a Cherokee – Rita Coolidge". All Things Cherokee. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ "Rita Coolidge Biography". Musicianguide.com. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ [2] AllMusic.com Song Review of Delta Lady
- ^ Tribune, Chicago. "Rita Coolidge marriage". Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ Zimmer, Dave, and Diltz, Henry (1984). Crosby Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography (First edition), St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-17660-0.
- ^ Accomplished Alpha Gams, Alpha Gamma Delta fraternity.
- ^ [3] AllMusic.com Biography of Walela
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 119. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rita Coolidge |
| Preceded by Sheena Easton For Your Eyes Only, 1981 |
James Bond title artist Octopussy (All Time High), 1983 |
Succeeded by Duran Duran A View to a Kill, 1985 |
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- 1945 births
- Living people
- People from Macon County, Tennessee
- Florida State University alumni
- People from Nashville, Tennessee
- American female singers
- American pop singers
- American country singers
- Delaney & Bonnie & Friends members
- Grammy Award-winning artists
- People from Jacksonville, Florida
- American people of Cherokee descent
