Randy Crawford American jazz and rhythm and blues singer Date of Birth: 18.02.1952 Country: USA

1. Biography of Randy Crawford
2. Early Life
3. Career Beginnings
4. Success and Collaborations
5. Popularity and Decline
6. Later Years

Biography of Randy Crawford

Randy Crawford is an American jazz and rhythm and blues singer. Although she was more popular in Europe than in the United States, she was never able to break into the top 100 of the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, Crawford had numerous top five hits in the UK, including the 1980 song "One Day I'll Fly Away," which reached second place on the UK Singles Chart.

Early Life

Veronica Crawford was born on February 18, 1952, in Macon, Georgia, which is known for its rich musical traditions. Macon has been the birthplace of several notable musicians, including falsetto singer Emmett Miller, one of the first African-American blues singers Lucille Hegamin, folk-rock singer Mark Heard, influential artist Little Richard, renowned violinist Robert McDuffie, and "platinum" country singer Jason Aldean.

Career Beginnings

Randy Crawford's career began with performances in nightclubs around the world, from Cincinnati to Saint-Tropez. However, she gained recognition in the mid-70s in New York, where she performed with jazz musicians George Benson and Cannonball Adderley. In 1972, she signed a contract with Columbia Records and released her first single, "Knock On Wood/If You Say the Word." Crawford was invited by Adderley to sing on his album "Big Man" in 1975. She remained with Columbia Records for a short time and recorded another single, "Don't Get Caught in Love's Triangle."

Success and Collaborations

In 1978, Crawford participated in the recording of former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's second solo album. She sang "Hoping Love Will Last," the first song on the B-side of the album "Please Don't Touch." The following year, she performed "Street Life," a hit by the rhythm and blues veterans The Crusaders, which was featured in the soundtracks of films such as "Sharky's Machine" (1981) and "Jackie Brown" (1997), as well as several commercials in the early 2000s. After parting ways with Columbia Records, Crawford signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records.

Popularity and Decline

In 1980, Crawford was named the "most promising performer" at the Tokyo Music Festival. Some of her notable solo recordings during this time include the songs "One Day I'll Fly Away" (1980), "You Might Need Somebody" (1981), and "Rainy Night in Georgia" (1981), which became recognized soul standards when performed by Randy Crawford. Her album "Secret Combination" (1981) spent 60 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. Although she returned to the UK Top Ten with the song "Almaz" in 1986, her popularity began to decline. Throughout the 90s, Crawford continued to record with Warner Bros. Records but did not have any major hits.

Later Years

In 1995, Crawford released the album "Naked And True," which returned her to her roots. The album includes a cover of George Benson's "Give Me the Night," and members of the group "Funkadelic" such as Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, and Fred Wesley Horns participated in its recording. In 1997, there was a resurgence of interest in Crawford's work when British rising star Shola Ama released a cover of Randy's song "You Might Need Somebody." On July 24, 2007, Crawford recorded a live session with Joe Sample at Abbey Road Studios in London for the documentary film "Live from Abbey Road." The episode, which Crawford shared with David Gilmour and Amos Lee, aired on the Sundance Channel in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.