Marlena Shaw Obituary, California jazz and blues singer died at 81
Marlena Shaw Death – Marlena Shaw, an American jazz, blues, and soul singer has passed away. Marlena Shaw, a resilient figure in the African-American music scene, launched her career in the 1960s and maintained her vibrant presence well into the early 2000s. California Soul Marlena Shaw was announced dead on Friday, the 19th of January 2024. She died at the age of 81. Her music has often been sampled in hip-hop music, and used in television commercials.
“Marlena Shaw was so many things. She was beautiful, strong, powerful, and man could she sing. There was nothing she couldn’t make us feel with that incredible voice of hers. Ms. Shaw was a criminally underrated vocalist, but those of us who have her records or had the pleasure of hearing her sing know better.”
Who was Marlena Shaw?
Marlena Shaw, born in New Rochelle, New York, developed an early appreciation for music through her uncle, jazz trumpeter Jimmy Burgess. Introduced to artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, she began singing on stage with Burgess’s band at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Despite her mother’s reluctance, Shaw pursued music at the New York State Teachers College but dropped out later. She started making appearances in jazz clubs, gaining attention when she collaborated with jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee in 1963.
Although an argument led her to leave McGhee’s band before the Newport Jazz Festival, Shaw’s breakthrough came in 1966 when she performed at the Playboy Club in Chicago. This led to a contract with Chess Records, where she released her first two albums. The 1969 track “California Soul” gained popularity, and she later moved to Blue Note Records in 1972.
Shaw’s 1977 album, “Sweet Beginnings,” featured notable tracks like “Yu Ma / Go Away Little Boy” and “Look at Me, Look at You.” She recorded a disco remake of “Touch Me in the Morning” and had chart success with the 1982 ballad “Without You in My Life.” Shaw continued performing and recording, participating in events like the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands in 1999, 2001, and 2007. She remains active in the music industry.
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