Lynda Laurence
Encyclopedia
Lynda Laurence is an American
singer. She is best known for being a part of two Motown
acts: Stevie Wonder
's backup group Wonderlove, and one of the post-Diana Ross
versions of The Supremes
. She is the youngest daughter of the late Louise Tucker and the late Ira Tucker
, gospel songwriter, producer, and lead singer of The Dixie Hummingbirds, and sister of Sundray Tucker and Ira Tucker Jr. She was a member of The Supremes
from 1972 through 1973, replacing Cindy Birdsong
, who left the trio to have a baby and begin raising her family.
's group Third Generation a predecessor to Wonderlove in 1969. At this time, her sister was going by the name Cindy Scott, and rejoined Laurence in the group. Laurence, Scott and third member, cousin Terri Hendricks, billed as the Third Generation toured with Wonder to promote his single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
", which featured Laurence on back-up vocals.
In 1972, Mary Wilson
, who chose to continue the legacy of The Supremes
after the departure of Florence Ballard
in 1967 and lead singer Diana Ross
in 1970, was about to temporarily lose another member of the group, Cindy Birdsong
, who was expecting a baby. Birdsong originally replaced Tucker in the group The Ordettes, later to be named Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles
, so it was ironic that Tucker's sister, Laurence took Birdsong's place as a backing vocalist
. At this time, Jean Terrell
was the lead singer of The Supremes
. Laurence joined the group around the time the group issued their Floy Joy album, and appeared on the cover with Terrell and Wilson, though Birdsong had sung on the album before her departure. Among the songs she recorded with the group included the Wonder produced single, "Bad Weather", and The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb
album plus The Supremes Live! In Japan
album recorded in 1973.
While with The Supremes at Motown, Laurence was never given the opportunity to record a lead vocal, except for a verse on the unreleased song "Soft Days", another Wonder production. She did sing lead in concert on two occasions, her debut with the Supremes in May 1972, at Hawaii
's H.I.C Arena, and later at the Copacabana
in New York
. In October 1973, when she was expecting a baby herself, she was replaced by the returning Birdsong. In addition, Terrell quit that year and was replaced by Scherrie Payne
.
, together with others added backing vocals to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
, which was released in 1976. The same year, Laurence teamed up again with Tucker, this time under the name The Wilton Place Street Band. Under the leadership of Laurence's then-husband, the record producer
and musician Trevor Lawrence, they recorded "Disco Lucy", which was a re-working of the theme tune to the I Love Lucy
show.
based Motorcity Records
label issuing the single, "Living With A Married Man". The label folded before Laurence released an album.
As Norma Lewis
Motorcity Records
with Harry Nillson
Unreleased
Live At The Courthouse
Although never officially released, Laurence recorded a solo set of jazz
material at Lps Angeles's Courthouse venue, with resident band, Night Court.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer. She is best known for being a part of two Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
acts: Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's backup group Wonderlove, and one of the post-Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
versions of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
. She is the youngest daughter of the late Louise Tucker and the late Ira Tucker
Ira Tucker
Ira Tucker Sr. was the lead singer with the American gospel group The Dixie Hummingbirds. He was with The Dixie Hummingbirds for 70 years, from 1938, when he joined at age 13, until his death from cardiovascular disease on June 24, 2008. Ira is the father of Sundray Tucker, Ira Tucker Jr., and...
, gospel songwriter, producer, and lead singer of The Dixie Hummingbirds, and sister of Sundray Tucker and Ira Tucker Jr. She was a member of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
from 1972 through 1973, replacing Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
, who left the trio to have a baby and begin raising her family.
Early years
Laurence began her career singing with a group named the Pendelles. Her sister, Sundray Tucker, was also in this group. She eventually made her way to Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's group Third Generation a predecessor to Wonderlove in 1969. At this time, her sister was going by the name Cindy Scott, and rejoined Laurence in the group. Laurence, Scott and third member, cousin Terri Hendricks, billed as the Third Generation toured with Wonder to promote his single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" is a soul single by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for Motown's Tamla label. Released in June 1970, the song spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S. Pop chart...
", which featured Laurence on back-up vocals.
The Supremes (1972-1973)
- Main entry: The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
In 1972, Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson is an American singer, formerlymember of the Motown female singing group The Supremes during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson was the only singer to be a consistent member of the group in its eighteen-year tenure...
, who chose to continue the legacy of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
after the departure of Florence Ballard
Florence Ballard
Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown group The Supremes. From 1963 until 1967, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit Supremes' singles, ten of which hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy decided to remove Ballard from...
in 1967 and lead singer Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
in 1970, was about to temporarily lose another member of the group, Cindy Birdsong
Cindy Birdsong
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...
, who was expecting a baby. Birdsong originally replaced Tucker in the group The Ordettes, later to be named Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles
Labelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
, so it was ironic that Tucker's sister, Laurence took Birdsong's place as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. At this time, Jean Terrell
Jean Terrell
Jean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.-Early life and career:...
was the lead singer of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
. Laurence joined the group around the time the group issued their Floy Joy album, and appeared on the cover with Terrell and Wilson, though Birdsong had sung on the album before her departure. Among the songs she recorded with the group included the Wonder produced single, "Bad Weather", and The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb
The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb
The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb is a 1972 album released by The Supremes on the Motown label. The album was the only Supremes LP produced by a non-Motown producer, successful songwriter and producer Jimmy Webb, and was the last album to feature early-1970s Supremes lead singer...
album plus The Supremes Live! In Japan
The Supremes Live! In Japan
The Supremes Live in Japan is a live album released by The Supremes in 1973, culled from a live performance recorded on June 2, 1973 in Tokyo, Japan. The album was issued exclusively in Japan, and was not released in the rest of the world until 2004....
album recorded in 1973.
While with The Supremes at Motown, Laurence was never given the opportunity to record a lead vocal, except for a verse on the unreleased song "Soft Days", another Wonder production. She did sing lead in concert on two occasions, her debut with the Supremes in May 1972, at Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
's H.I.C Arena, and later at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In October 1973, when she was expecting a baby herself, she was replaced by the returning Birdsong. In addition, Terrell quit that year and was replaced by Scherrie Payne
Scherrie Payne
Scherrie Payne is an American singer. The younger sister of singer/actress Freda Payne, Scherrie Payne was the co-lead singer of The Supremes from 1973 to 1977, after Jean Terrell left the group in the fall of 1973...
.
Later career
In 1975, Laurence, along with Tucker and soon-to-be-Supreme Susaye GreeneSusaye Greene
Susaye Greene , is an African-American singer, best known for being the last official member to join Motown girl group The Supremes, remaining in the group during its final years of existence from 1976 to 1977.-Early life and career:...
, together with others added backing vocals to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
, which was released in 1976. The same year, Laurence teamed up again with Tucker, this time under the name The Wilton Place Street Band. Under the leadership of Laurence's then-husband, the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and musician Trevor Lawrence, they recorded "Disco Lucy", which was a re-working of the theme tune to the I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
show.
Background work
Laurence has provided studio backing vocals for:- Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
for his Signed, Sealed, and DeliveredSigned, Sealed, and DeliveredSigned, Sealed & Delivered is Stevie Wonder's twelfth album on the Tamla label, released on August 7, 1970. Along with the hit title track, the album also featured the hits "Heaven Help Us All", "Never Had a Dream Come True" and Wonder's soul-styled cover of The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out"...
album in 1970 - Stevie Wonder for his Songs in the Key of LifeSongs in the Key of LifeSongs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
album in 1976 - Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
for her Love All The Hurt AwayLove All the Hurt AwayLove All The Hurt Away is an Aretha Franklin album, the singer's sophomore release for Arista Records. Despite strong reviews, it was a sales disappointment, topping off at approximately 250,000 copies. Aretha's cover version of Sam & Dave's classic hit "Hold On! I'm Coming" won Franklin her...
album in 1981 - Moacir SantosMoacir SantosMoacir Santos was a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Baden Powell de Aquino and Wilson das Neves both studied under him...
- Jean TerrellJean TerrellJean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.-Early life and career:...
for her I Had To Fall in LoveI Had to Fall in LoveI Had to Fall in Love was the only solo album released by former Supremes lead singer Jean Terrell, released in 1978 on the A&M label. The album was completed five years after she left the Supremes and when it was finished, promotion was stopped completely because of Terrell's strict religious...
album in 1978 - Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
Solo career
As a solo artist, Laurence recorded the songs "Give Me Back Just A Little Piece Of My Heart", "Love Is The Reason" and "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" among others, under the name of Norma Lewis in the 1980s. In 1990 and 1991 she also recorded several solo tracks for the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.-History:...
label issuing the single, "Living With A Married Man". The label folded before Laurence released an album.
Former Ladies of the Supremes/FLO's
Laurence (once again replacing original, short-term FLO Cindy Birdsong) joined Jean Terrell and Scherrie Payne to form The Former Ladies of the Supremes in 1986. The FLO's have recorded many songs, mostly remakes of Supremes tunes, but have built up a catalog that includes many non-Motown—and some original—songs. The FLO's have maintained a solid fan base and in 2011 celebrate their 25th anniversary together. Group Changes: Jean left in 1992 and was replaced by Lynda's sister, Sundray Tucker. (Sundray herself was once eyed as a potential Supreme, in 1972, but the position was offered to Lynda instead.) Sundray left in 1996 and was replaced by Freddi Poole. Freddi left in 2009, with Joyce Vincent Wilson (formerly of Tony Orlando & Dawn) stepping in as the newest member. Many sources note Joyce was originally selected to take Mary Wilson's place in the Supremes in 1977, before the group disbanded. The group, still popular and touring, now goes by "Scherrie Payne & Lynda Laurence, Formerly of the Supremes", but is still often referred to by fans and the press as the FLO's.Discography
Over the years Laurence recorded many tracks, only a few of which have been released as solo projects.As Norma Lewis
- "Give Me Back Just A Little Piece Of My Heart"
- "Love Is The Reason"
- "Make Your Own Kind Of Music"
Motorcity Records
- "Forever"
- "Forever Came Today"
- "I'm Not Taking A Chance"
- "Right Around Midnight"
- "If This World We're Mine"
- "Outside Looking In"
- "The Man In My Life"
- "Living With A Married Man"
- "Fresh Out Of Tears"
- "It's A Crying Shame"
with Harry Nillson
- "Just One Look"/"Baby I'm Yours"
Unreleased
- "Don't Cross The Street"
- "Feed The Hunger"
- "It Finally Happened To Be"
- "Someone Wonderful"
Live At The Courthouse
Although never officially released, Laurence recorded a solo set of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
material at Lps Angeles's Courthouse venue, with resident band, Night Court.
- "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever"
- "I Wish You Love"
- "Green Dolphin Street"
- "Ill Wind"
- "Give Me The Simple Life"
- "Love Dance"
- "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
- "Fever"
- "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You"