Laura Branigan (July 3, 1957 – August 26, 2004) was a Grammy Award-nominated American singer-songwriter and
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of
ItalianAn Italian American is an American of Italian ancestry, and/or may also refer to someone possessing Italian/American dual citizenship. Italian Americans are the fourth largest European ethnic group in the United States.-History:...
and
IrishIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey. The only self-reported ancestral group larger than Irish Americans are German Americans...
ancestry. She is arguably best known for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" (although this was not her biggest hit internationally). Branigan is also remembered for other Top-10 hits, including "
Self Control"Self Control" is the name of an international hit song recorded in 1984 by Laura Branigan, as well as the album on which it appears. The song was recorded that same year with the same English lyrics by Italian singer Raf, who co-wrote the song with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. Branigan's...
", "
Solitaire"Solitaire" is a pop-rock song by Laura Branigan, appearing on her second album Branigan 2 and released as its first single in early 1983. It was her second consecutive Top Ten hit on the U.S., Australian, and Canadian charts....
" and her #1 single, "
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983. The song was recorded later the same decade by its writer, Michael Bolton. Both versions reached #1 on U.S. charts....
".
She also contributed songs to notable movie/series soundtracks, including the
BaywatchBaywatch is an American television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran from 1989 to 1999...
soundtrack (1994), the
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
soundtrack, and the Grammy and Academy Award-winning
lashdance] soundtrack, as well as having songs featured in the popular
Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto may refer to*Motor vehicle theft, a crime in many jurisdictions*Grand Theft Auto , the first film directed by Ron Howard*Grand Theft Auto , a computer and video game series...
series.
Her signature song "Gloria" stayed on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for a record-breaking 36 weeks (by a female artist). The song also holds a place in the top 100 singles of 1982 and 1983.
Early career
In the early 1970s, Branigan was a member of the band Meadow, which released one album in 1973 called
The Friend Ship. The record has never been re-released. Branigan preferred not to discuss her involvement with Meadow publicly. During the years after Meadow broke up, she worked a wide variety of jobs, including a stint as one of
Leonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, CC, GOQ is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often deals with the exploration of religion, isolation, sexuality and complex interpersonal relationships...
's backup singers for his European tour.
In 1979See also:Musical groups established in 1979Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music -Events:*Stevie Wonder uses digital audio recording technology in recording his album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants....
Branigan was signed by
Ahmet ErtegünAhmet Ertegun was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry"...
to
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. The strength of her dramatic alto voice, with its four-octave range, ironically impeded her career for a couple of years while the label went through the process of categorizing her. She was finally categorized as a
pop singerPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
and a single called "Looking Out For Number One" made a brief appearance on the U.S. Dance chart. Her first solo album
BraniganBranigan is the debut album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1982.The album included two singles: "All Night With Me", which didn't break the Top 40, and a cover version of the Italian hit "Gloria," which made the singer a star....
was released in 1982: the first single from this album was "All Night With Me", which hit #69 on the Billboard charts in early 1982. Her first reviews saw her voice compared to both
Donna SummerDonna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco"....
and
Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, film and theatre actress. She has also achieved note as a composer, liberal political activist, film producer, and film director. She has won two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, and a Peabody all by the age of...
, both of whom had enjoyed iconic
DiscoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
hits.
BraniganBranigan is the debut album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1982.The album included two singles: "All Night With Me", which didn't break the Top 40, and a cover version of the Italian hit "Gloria," which made the singer a star....
, the nine-song debut album, alternated four hyper-energetic up-tempo songs with five ballads, including one of the few songs written solely by Branigan, "I Wish We Could Be Alone". "Gloria", originally an Italian love song recorded by
Umberto TozziUmberto Tozzi is an Italian pop/rock singer and composer, born in Turin.-Biography:In 1968, at the age of 16, Umberto Tozzi joined 'Off Sound', one of the many groups that performed in small venues around Turin...
in 1979See also:Musical groups established in 1979Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music -Events:*Stevie Wonder uses digital audio recording technology in recording his album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants....
(and successful in several European countries), was released as the album's second single. Branigan's version was reworked with Tozzi's own arranger, Greg Mathieson, who sharpened the ballad's hooks and updated its production with fellow producer
Jack WhiteJack White is a music composer and producer by the real name of Horst Nussbaum. After producing German Schlager music in the 70s, he went international when he produced Laura Branigan's hits "Gloria" and "Self Control" as well as Pia Zadora songs such as "When the Rain Begins to Fall", all in...
to give it what Branigan called "an American kick" to match aggressive new English lyrics. American radio was not initially receptive to "Gloria"; the song's combination of American and European sound predated the imminent second "British Invasion" of popular music by several months. Embraced by dance clubs, especially
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
clubs, it eventually won over American radio stations and propelled the song to become one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. The album went Gold, and the single was eventually certified Platinum (for sales of more than two million U.S. copies). Her vocal performance of "Gloria" was nominated for a Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female Grammy award (alongside
Linda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music vocalist and entertainer. Her many vocal styles in a variety of genres have resonated with the general public over the course of her four-decade career...
,
Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a British-born, Australian-raised singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 albums...
,
Juice NewtonJuice Newton is an American Pop music and Country singer, songwriter and guitarist...
, and that year's winner
Melissa ManchesterMelissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s she has recorded a series of albums featuring her own compositions and those of a variety of other songwriters, generally in the adult contemporary genre...
); "Gloria" marked her first of four nominations.
In the spring of 1983, Branigan released her second album,
Branigan 2Branigan 2 is the second album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1983 . Two hit singles emerged from the album, the dramatic "Solitaire" and her introduction of the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"...
. By this time, the dramatic European synth-pop sound was on the rise, and Branigan's surging, sustained vocals propelled her English-language version of the French song "Solitaire" to the upper reaches of the U.S. charts. The original "Solitaire" was written and recorded in 1981 by French singer-songwriter Martine Clemenceau. In addition to cementing a place in pop history and ensuring she was not a one-hit wonder, her second album's two big hits began the careers for two then-unknowns, who themselves became industry legends. The English translation of "Solitaire" was the first major hit for lyric writer
Diane WarrenDiane Eve Warren is an American country and pop music singer-songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
, while the album's second hit single, the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You", was the first major hit for its co-writer,
Michael BoltonMichael Bolton is an American singer-songwriter and a former hard rock singer. He is best known for his soft rock ballads and tenor vocals....
. Branigan's debut recording of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" reached #12 on the Hot 100 and spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
The 1983 film
FlashdanceFlashdance is a musical/romance film released in April . The film was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and its presentation of some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other 1980s films including Top Gun , Simpson and Bruckheimer's most...
contained two Laura Branigan songs, "
Gloria"Gloria" is a pop song originally written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi which, with English lyrics written by Trevor Veitch, became an international hit for Laura Branigan in 1982-83, earning the pop star her first of four Grammy nominations.-Origins:Umberto Tozzi...
" and a new song, "Imagination". The latter song was included on the
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
winning
Flashdance soundtrackFlashdance is the soundtrack to the 1983 American musical and romance film Flashdance, produced by Don Simpsonand Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri. It sold more than 20 million copies worldwide...
that hit #1 and sold more than six million copies in the U.S. alone.
Height of her career
The year 1984 was the height of the European synth-pop era, and "Self Control", the title track of Branigan's third album, became her biggest hit to date. The song became her most popular international hit, topping the charts in several countries, most notably West Germany, where it spent seven weeks at #1. Another version of "Self Control", recorded few months earlier in 1984 by the song's co-writer
Raffaele RiefoliRaffaele Riefoli is an Italian popular singer who is better known as simply Raf.-Biography:...
(under the name Raf), held the West German number two spot during this time period; outside of Raf's native Italy, Branigan's version enjoyed more success.
Other pop, dancefloor and adult contemporary hits from Branigan's
Self Control album include "The Lucky One" (which won her a
Tokyo Music FestivalThe Tokyo Music Festival was an international music contest that ran from 1972 to 1991. It was organised by the Tokyo Music Festival Association...
prize), the continental ballad "Ti Amo" (another Umberto Tozzi's Italian hit, and a #2 smash in Australia) and the Dance hit "Satisfaction." The album also featured an uncharacteristically understated version of Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"; as a counterpoint to all the disco production, this was a stripped-back piano version. (In concerts and television appearances throughout her career, Branigan accompanied herself on the piano for the song.) That year, Branigan's live show was recorded twice: once for a syndicated radio concert series, and a second time for a concert video. Branigan was also nominated for an award at the
American Music Awards of 1985The 12th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 28, 1985.-Pop/Rock Category:-Soul/R&B Category:-Country Category:...
for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist (though
Cyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first artist to have four top-five singles released from one album. Lauper has released 11 albums and over 40...
won the award). Also in 1985, Branigan performed the main theme song for the highly rated television mini-series
Hollywood WivesHollywood Wives is a 1983 novel by the British author Jackie Collins. It was her ninth novel, and her most successful.Hollywood Wives tells the stories of several women in Hollywood, ranging all the way from long-time talent agents and screenwriters to vivacious screen vixens and young, innocent...
, based on the novel by
Jackie CollinsJacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins is an English novelist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins...
.
By the time of Branigan's fourth album, 1985's
Hold Me, "Self Control" had swept the world, and territories that had not previously embraced her began to release her earlier material, from South America to the Middle East to the Pacific Islands. The hits continued with "Spanish Eddie", which was her sixth US Billboard Top 40 Pop hit in two and a half years. The story was different around the world, however, as her newest hit followed its predecessors up the charts in Europe, South Africa, and South America. Subsequent release "Hold Me" was a U.S. top 40 dance hit and her introduction of the rock ballad "I Found Someone" (cowritten by Michael Bolton) scored even higher on the Adult Contemporary chart, but neither song was supported by a music video and stalled in the lower reaches of the pop charts.
Touch, which was released in 1987, marked a change in Branigan's career. Under new management and using different producers, Branigan took a more active role in her work and in the studio.
Touch saw her return to dancefloors with the
Stock/Aitken/WatermanStock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
-produced "Shattered Glass". The album also included a return to the Billboard top 40 with her cover of
Jennifer RushJennifer Rush is an American German-based Pop/Rock singer, best known for the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which went on to be covered by Celine Dion, and Laura Branigan .-Career:...
's "The Power of Love", which closed out the year as one of the top 20 bestselling singles of the Christmas season for Branigan. Branigan's high-impact version of the now widely-covered ballad featured an extraordinary key change in the final chorus. The album's third single, "Cry Wolf", did not capture attention at pop radio. The ballad was recorded two years later by
Stevie NicksStephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and has sold nearly 120 million albums. She has been noted for her ethereal visual style and symbolic...
, and more recently by writer
Jude JohnstoneJude Johnstone is an American singer-songwriter. Her songs have been covered by Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks and others. Johnstone wrote the #1 song "The Woman Before Me" on Yearwood's debut CD, which also won an award from Broadcast Music...
.
During the height of her career, Branigan also made acting appearances, first in 1981 in
An American Girl in Berlin for German television, and then after the success of "Gloria", guest appearances on American television series such as
CHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977 to June 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
,
AutomanAutoman is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes on ABC between 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:...
and Knight Rider. She would later do independent films such as
Mugsy's Girls (aka
Delta Pi, 1985) with the venerable
Ruth GordonRuth Gordon Jones , better known as Ruth Gordon, was an American actress and writer. She was perhaps best known for her film roles such as the oversolicitous neighbor in Rosemary's Baby, the eccentric life-loving Maude in Harold and Maude and as the mother of Orville Boggs in the Every Which Way...
, and the Australian film
BackstageBackstage is a 1988 Australian film starring American singer Laura Branigan. The film was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Jonathan Hardy, who had also written Breaker Morant....
. She sang on major national television and radio campaigns for products including
Dr PepperDr Pepper is a soft drink marketed as having a unique flavor. Created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885, Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia and South America...
,
Coca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines internationally. The Coca-Cola Company claims that the beverage is sold in more than 200 countries...
and
ChryslerChrysler Group, LLC is an American automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG...
, which sponsored her 1985-1986 "Hold Me" tour.
Later Years
Branigan's 1990 self-titled album brought the singer back to the Hi-NRG charts and
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
clubs with "
Moonlight On Water"Moonlight on Water," also known as "Moonlight on Water ", is a popular music song written by Steve Kipner, previously best known for writing Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," and Andy Goldmark....
" and scored another Top 30 Adult Contemporary hit with "Never in a Million Years." Branigan added production to her list of credits with her cover of
Vicki Sue RobinsonVicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:...
's disco-era "Turn the Beat Around" and the atmospheric "Let Me In". It also included "Unison", which was the title track for
Celine DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion , CC, OQ is a Canadian singer, occasional songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to...
's English debut CD in the same year. The album's closing track, a subdued cover of
Bryan AdamsBryan Adams, OC, OBC is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter and photographer. Adams was first nominated at the 28th Grammy Awards for Reckless and "It's Only Love" and won the Grammy and in 1992 won the award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media"...
' "The Best Was Yet To Come", was produced and arranged by Branigan herself. The singer's 1990-1991 concert tour was filmed for a syndicated U.S. television show,
SRO in Concert, which was also released on videocassette and
laserdiscThe Laserdisc is an obsolete home video disc format, and was the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially marketed as Discovision in 1978, the technology was licensed and sold as Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Videodisc, Laservision, Disco-Vision, DiscoVision, and MCA...
(though not on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
.)
On Branigan's seventh and final studio album, 1993's
Over My HeartOver My Heart is the seventh album by singer, Laura Branigan, released in 1993 .Over My Heart was Branigan's most personal and eclectic album and saw her again try a hand at producing, alongside the legendary Phil Ramone...
, the singer again produced (with
Phil RamonePhil Ramone is a violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer born in 1941 .-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
), wrote and arranged. The album included a cover of
RoxetteRoxette is a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. They enjoyed worldwide success, from the late 1980s until the mid 1990s, gaining nineteen UK Top 40 hits and four US #1 singles with, "The Look", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love" and "Joyride"...
's song "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye", and "Is There Anybody Here but Me?" (Pessis, Wells), a smooth mid-tempo number with a light Latin beat, decorated with romantic sax and atmospheric synths.
She was married To Larry Kruteck, a lawyer 20 years her senior, in Dec. 1981. Not long after the Over My Heart album's release, Branigan left the music industry in 1994 to spend more time with her husband, Larry Kruteck, following his diagnosis of colon cancer. He passed away on 15 June 1996.
During these years, Branigan's chart success cooled in the US, though she was still in demand around the world and went on several global tours. Branigan had several official hit collections released in South America, Japan, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. The U.S. collection was released in 1995: the 13-track
The Best of BraniganThe Best of Branigan was released in 1995 and was the first greatest hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States. This album also marked the end of Branigan's relationship with her record label, Atlantic Records...
and included two newly recorded covers: "
Show Me Heaven"Show Me Heaven" is a song written by Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin recorded by McKee for the soundtrack to the movie Days of Thunder . It was later covered by Robin Zander, Laura Branigan, and other artists....
" (written by
Maria McKeeMaria Louise McKee is an American singer.-Music:A solo artist, McKee was a founding member of the cowpunk/country rock band, Lone Justice, in 1982, with whom she released three albums...
) and the
Donna SummerDonna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco"....
hit "
Dim All the Lights"Dim All the Lights" is a song by Donna Summer released as a single in the latter half of 1979. Taken from her Bad Girls album and produced by longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder with Pete Bellotte, the track combines Summer's trademark disco beats with a more soulful/R&B-esque sound...
", which Branigan released in several remixes.
Receiving rave reviews for her live performances, Branigan's vocal coach was Carlo Menotti, and she worked with
Steve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has released several solo albums and, as a studio session guitarist, has been involved with arranging, composing, and...
(
TotoToto was an American rock band founded in 1977 by some of the most popular and experienced session musicians of the era. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the 1980s, beginning with the band's self-titled debut, released during 1978...
),
Dann HuffDann Huff is an American musician, session musician, singer-songwriter and producer.- Career :He began his career as part of the original Christian rock band White Heart in which he played with his brother David Huff, and later in the melodic rock band Giant. Since then, he has found work as a...
(
GiantGiant is an American melodic hard rock band that was formed in 1987.The band consisted of founding members Dann Huff and Alan Pasqua , and had Dan's brother David Huff on drums and Mike Brignardello on bass....
) and
Michael LandauMichael Landau is a session musician and guitarist who has played on albums since the early 1980s, notable artists include: Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, Miles Davis, Amy Holland, Michael Jackson, Richard Marx, Joni Mitchell, Steve Perry, Vasco Rossi, Seal, James Taylor, Helen...
; keyboardists Greg Mathieson,
Harold FaltermeyerHarold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
,
Michael BoddickerMichael Lehmann Boddicker is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He graduated from Coe College in 1975 and received an honorary doctorate degree from Coe in 2004....
and
Robbie BuchananRobbie Buchanan is a Canadian keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer.Buchanan began playing the piano at the age of 6. He acquired his first paying gig as a pianist at the age of 12 playing 6 nights a week in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. While still a teenager, Buchanan joined a band...
; bassists
Nathan EastNathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
and Dennis Belfield (
RufusRufus was a 1970s American funk band, from Chicago, Illinois; best known for launching the career of their lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good" , "Sweet Thing", and "Ain't Nobody".-Career:One of the most commercially successful...
); drummer Carlos Vega; percussionists
Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times...
and
Lenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.
-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his...
; and guest vocalists including
Joe "Bean" EspositoJoe Esposito, known as "Bean," is a Grammy winning American singer/songwriter whose career spans from the 1970s to the present day.-Biography:...
and background vocalist including The Waters Sisters (Maxine & Julia),
James IngramJames Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best-known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Additionally, he is a producer and songwriter.-Early life:...
, and
Richard PageRichard Page , was the lead singer and bassist in 1980s US band Mr. Mister, and is now a songwriter.-Career:...
&
Stephen GeorgeSteve George was the keyboard player for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote many of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend Richard Page....
(
Mr. MisterMr. Mister was an American pop rock band of the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a Weather Report record called Mr. Gone where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as representative of...
). As her stature grew, she attracted Grammy-winning producers including
Phil RamonePhil Ramone is a violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer born in 1941 .-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
,
Richard PerryRichard Perry is an American music producer. Perry began as a performer in his adolescence, but shifted gears after graduating college and rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly successful and popular record producer with over a dozen gold records to his credit by 1982...
and
David Kershenbaum- Biography and Career :David Kershenbaum is an American record producer and entrepreneur.Born in Springfield, Missouri, David Kershenbaum is the internationally known as a record producer and A&R man...
. She performed duets with Australian megastar
John FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham, is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964–1979, and since then he has forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist but he replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
as well as Latin pop artist Luis Miguel. She also appeared frequently on various television shows, including The
Merv GriffinMervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, singer, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway...
Show,
Dick ClarkRichard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American television, radio personality, game show host and businessman; he served as chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
's
American BandstandAmerican Bandstand was a television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, hosted from 1957 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
,Solid Gold, and
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992....
.
In 2001 Branigan's return to the stage was postponed when she broke both of her
femurThe femur, or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs...
s in a fall. In 2002, she performed twice as the "singing"
Janis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist...
in the
off-BroadwayOff Broadway theater is an umbrella term for a defined set of plays, musicals or revues performed in New York City. Originally referring to the location of a venue and its productions on a street intersecting Broadway in Manhattan's Theatre District, the hub of the theater industry in the United...
musical
Love, JanisLove, Janis is a collection, released in 2001, of Janis Joplin's performances interspersed with readings of her personal letters to her family throughout her career...
, before dropping out of the show. "I left
Janis because the producers didn't file with
EquityThe Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union embracing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
properly", she told the
Sunday NewsThe Sunday News is a New Zealand tabloid newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. In addition to a self-described 'punchy' take on the news, it features coverage of weekend sport, entertainment, star gossip, fashion and TV listings.The Sunday News has editorial offices in...
in Lancaster, Pa. "I was sort of relieved. My voice isn't anything like Janis Joplin's, and there were 19 of her songs in the show."
Also in 2002, her second official US hits collection,
The Essentials: Laura BraniganThe Essentials: Laura Branigan was released in 2002 and was the second greatest-hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States...
released, and included the long out-of-print "
I Found Someone"I Found Someone" is the name of a charting single written for Laura Branigan by Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold. The song was a bigger hit for Cher in 1987, reaching the Top 10.-History:...
."
Death
Branigan died at her home on
Long IslandLong Island is an island located in southeastern New York, United States, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City, and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York, on August 26, 2004. Her death was attributed to a previously undiagnosed brain aneurysm. It was reported in the media that she had been experiencing headaches for a few weeks before her death but did not seek medical attention. Branigan was
crematedCremation is the process of reducing human remains to basic chemical compounds in the form of gases and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high temperatures and vaporization....
and her ashes were distributed over
Long Island SoundLong Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound...
.
Legacy
In 2005, her management company organized a memorial for her friends and fans held on the anniversary of her death near the Long Island home in which she was caring for her mother at the time of her death. Following its initial success, the "Spirit of Love Memorial Gathering" remains an annual event in celebration of her life and the legacy of her passionate vocal performances and the heartfelt connection she made with her fans, whom she consistently referred to as "my other half."
Between 2006 and 2008 new greatest-hits compilations were released:
The Platinum Collection is an 18 song compilation including all the major hits as well as tracks such as "Silent Partners", "Satisfaction", "All Night With Me" and "If You Loved Me", that were four relatively new additions to Branigan hits compilations; in 2007, the 1995 "The Best Of Branigan" was re-released as part of Rhino's 2007 "Greatest Hits" series of CDs; in 2008, Rhino/WEA authorized the re-release of three out-of-print Branigan albums,
Touch,
Laura Branigan and
Over My Heart.
Disputes
In the years before her death, there was some dispute over her official website.
In 1998, an individual bought the domain name "laurabranigan.com" placing a website on that domain that claimed to be Ms. Branigan's official website. After several years, it became common knowledge among Branigan fans that the website at laurabranigan.com had no actual authorized connection to the singer herself. In November 2002, a new website was launched at LauraBraniganOnline.com, with which Branigan openly cooperated, culminating in January 2004 with her sanction of LauraBraniganOnline.com as her sole official website. This was documented in open letters on the latter site in which the singer clearly states that she had no connection with either laurabranigan.com or its owner.
In 2008, Sunset Records claimed to be releasing a two-disc CD containing Laura Branigan remixes and rarities. After one year of postponed release dates, Branigan's official website announced that no such release would occur and that neither Sunset Records nor its affiliates owned or had permission to use the tracks claimed to be on the CD.
Discography
Studio albums
- Branigan
Branigan is the debut album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1982.The album included two singles: "All Night With Me", which didn't break the Top 40, and a cover version of the Italian hit "Gloria," which made the singer a star....
(1982)
- Branigan 2
Branigan 2 is the second album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1983 . Two hit singles emerged from the album, the dramatic "Solitaire" and her introduction of the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"...
(1983)
- Self Control
Self Control is the third album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1984. The album spawned two Top-40 hits with the title song and "The Lucky One". The album became Branigan's biggest, earning her a Platinum certification...
(1984)
- Hold Me (1985)
- Touch (1987)
- Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan is the sixth album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1990.This album scored an AC hit for Branigan with its second single, "Never In A Million Years." The album also brought the singer back to the tops of the Hi-NRG charts and dancefloors with its first single, "Moonlight On...
(1990)
- Over My Heart
Over My Heart is the seventh album by singer, Laura Branigan, released in 1993 .Over My Heart was Branigan's most personal and eclectic album and saw her again try a hand at producing, alongside the legendary Phil Ramone...
(1993)
Compilation albums
- The Best of Branigan
The Best of Branigan was released in 1995 and was the first greatest hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States. This album also marked the end of Branigan's relationship with her record label, Atlantic Records...
(1995)
- The Essentials
The Essentials: Laura Branigan was released in 2002 and was the second greatest-hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States...
(2002)
- The Platinum Collection
The Platinum Collection is the third greatest hits collection of singer Laura Branigan, and was released posthmously. It was released only in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2006. The album is part of the Warner Platinum series released by Rhino Records...
(2006)
Filmography
For a list of soundtracks featured in film and TV, see Laura Branigan discography - Soundtracks.
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1985 |
Mugsy's Girls Mugsy's Girls is a 1985 film starring pop singer Laura Branigan and Ruth Gordon about a sorority that travels to Las Vegas to enter a mudwrestiling competition in order to raise the money to save their house...
|
Monica |
|
| 1988 |
Backstage Backstage is a 1988 Australian film starring American singer Laura Branigan. The film was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Jonathan Hardy, who had also written Breaker Morant....
|
Kate Lawrence |
|
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1982 |
Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeThe Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade presented by Macy's Department store. The three-hour event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving.-History:...
|
Herself |
Performer of "Gloria" |
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
|
Herself |
Performer of "Gloria" and "Living a Lie" |
| 1983 |
CHiPs CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977 to June 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
|
Sarah |
|
| A Solid Gold Christmas Solid Gold was an American syndicated music countdown television series which aired from 1980 to 1988, usually on Saturday in the early evening time slot...
|
Herself |
Performer of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" |
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' EveDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31 1972.-Format and brief overview:...
|
Herself |
Performer of "How am I Supposed to Live Without You" |
| 1984 |
AutomanAutoman is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes on ABC between 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:...
|
Jessie Cole |
|
| Rock Rolls On |
Herself |
Co-host, Performer of "Self Control" and "The Lucky One" |
| 1985 |
Cover Story |
Herself |
Biography |
| 1986 |
Disney's Living Seas |
Herself |
Performer and composer of "If I Were a River" |
| 1988 |
Record Guide '88 |
Herself |
Interview |
| 1990 |
SRO: In Concert |
Herself |
Her concert live from Atlantic City |
| 1991 |
Monsters Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and was probably most popular for its post-production run on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s...
|
Amanda |
|
| Theater |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 2002 |
Love, Janis Love, Janis is a collection, released in 2001, of Janis Joplin's performances interspersed with readings of her personal letters to her family throughout her career...
|
Janis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist...
|
Off-Broadway, New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
|
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Song | Result |
|---|
| 1982 |
Grammy Awards |
Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female |
"Gloria "Gloria" is a pop song originally written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi which, with English lyrics written by Trevor Veitch, became an international hit for Laura Branigan in 1982-83, earning the pop star her first of four Grammy nominations.-Origins:Umberto Tozzi...
" |
Nomination |
| 1983 |
Grammy Awards |
Album of the Year |
"Imagination" (Flashdance soundtrack Flashdance is the soundtrack to the 1983 American musical and romance film Flashdance, produced by Don Simpsonand Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri. It sold more than 20 million copies worldwide...
) |
Nomination |
| 1983 |
Grammy Awards |
Best Soundtrack |
"Imagination" (Flashdance soundtrack) |
Won ^ |
| 1984 |
Grammy Awards |
Best Soundtrack |
"Hot Night" (GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
soundtrack) |
Nomination |
| 1984 |
American Music Awards |
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist |
"Self Control "Self Control" is the name of an international hit song recorded in 1984 by Laura Branigan, as well as the album on which it appears. The song was recorded that same year with the same English lyrics by Italian singer Raf, who co-wrote the song with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. Branigan's...
" |
Nomination |
| 1984 |
Tokyo Music Festival |
Grand Prix Award for Best Vocal Performance |
"The Lucky One" |
Won |
- ^ This grammy was not technically awarded to Laura Branigan
Silver, Gold and Platinum records
| Country | Format | Title | Award | Certification date | Sales |
|---|
| Canada |
Single |
"Gloria "Gloria" is a pop song originally written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi which, with English lyrics written by Trevor Veitch, became an international hit for Laura Branigan in 1982-83, earning the pop star her first of four Grammy nominations.-Origins:Umberto Tozzi...
" |
Gold |
December 1, 1982 |
5,000+ |
| Canada |
Album |
Branigan Branigan is the debut album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1982.The album included two singles: "All Night With Me", which didn't break the Top 40, and a cover version of the Italian hit "Gloria," which made the singer a star....
|
Gold |
January 1, 1983 |
40,000+ |
| Canada |
Single |
"Gloria" |
Platinum |
January 1, 1983 |
10,000+ |
| U.S |
Single |
"Gloria" |
Gold |
January 7, 1983 |
1 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Flashdance soundtrack Flashdance is the soundtrack to the 1983 American musical and romance film Flashdance, produced by Don Simpsonand Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri. It sold more than 20 million copies worldwide...
|
Gold |
June 17 1983 |
1 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Flashdance soundtrack |
Platinum |
June 17, 1983 |
2 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Branigan |
Gold |
August 2, 1984 |
1 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Self Control Self Control is the third album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1984. The album spawned two Top-40 hits with the title song and "The Lucky One". The album became Branigan's biggest, earning her a Platinum certification...
|
Gold |
August 6, 1984 |
1 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
soundtrack |
Gold |
August 15, 1984 |
1 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Ghostbusters soundtrack |
Platinum |
August 23, 1984 |
2 Million+ |
| U.K |
Album |
Self Control |
Silver |
September 1, 1984 |
60,000+ |
| U.K |
Single |
"Self Control "Self Control" is the name of an international hit song recorded in 1984 by Laura Branigan, as well as the album on which it appears. The song was recorded that same year with the same English lyrics by Italian singer Raf, who co-wrote the song with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. Branigan's...
" |
Silver |
September 26, 1984 |
200,000+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Flashdance soundtrack |
Multi-Platinum (5 million) |
October 12, 1984 |
5 Million+ |
| Canada |
Album |
Self Control |
Gold |
November 11, 1984 |
40,000+ |
| Canada |
Album |
Self Control |
Platinum |
November 11, 1984 |
80,000+ |
| Switzerland |
Album |
"Self Control" |
Gold |
1984 |
15,000+ |
| Norway |
Album |
"Self Control" |
Gold |
1984 |
15,000+ |
| Finland |
Album |
"Self Control'" |
Gold |
1984 |
15,000+ |
| Sweden |
Album |
"Self Control" |
Gold |
1984 |
20,000+ |
| Germany |
Single |
"Self Control'" |
Gold |
1984 |
150,000+ |
| France |
Single |
"Self Control'" |
Gold |
1984 |
150,000+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Branigan 2 Branigan 2 is the second album by singer Laura Branigan, released in 1983 . Two hit singles emerged from the album, the dramatic "Solitaire" and her introduction of the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"...
|
Gold |
September 18, 1985 |
1 Million+ |
| Germany |
Album |
Self Control |
Gold |
1993 |
150,000+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Self Control |
Platinum |
May 3, 1995 |
2 Million+ |
| U.S |
Single |
"Gloria" |
Platinum |
May 3, 1995 |
2 Million+ |
| U.S |
Album |
Flashdance soundtrack |
Multi-Platinum (6 million) |
June 21, 1996 |
6 Million+ |
Statistics and certifications are correct at time of certification date and sales
needed to achieve these certifications have changed.
External links