Nicolette Larson (July 17, 1952 – December 16, 1997) was an American singer best known for her 1978
coverIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
's "
Lotta Love"Lotta Love" is a Neil Young composition which as recorded by Nicolette Larson reached #8 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in February 1979 and also reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart ranking as the #10 Adult Contemporary hit of the year....
". This song, her debut single, was a Number One
Hot Adult Contemporary TracksThe Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
hit and #8 pop hit that year. It was followed by four more Adult Contemporary hits, two of which were also minor pop hits. By 1985, she shifted her focus to
country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, charting six times on the Hot Country Singles (now
Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts. Her only Top 40 country hit was "That's How You Know When Love's Right", a duet with
Steve WarinerSteven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
.
Early life & career
Nicolette Larson was born in
HelenaHelena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The population was 25,780 at the 2000 census, and had been estimated to rise to 29,351 by 2008. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The local weekly newspaper is the Queen City...
,
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Her father's employment with the
U.S. Treasury DepartmentThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
necessitated frequent relocation for Larson's family. She graduated high school in
Kansas CityKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
,
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
where Larson attended the University of Missouri for three semesters and also worked at waitressing and office jobs before giving in to the pursuit of a musical career she'd dreamed of since singing along to the radio as a child. Larson eventually settled in San Francisco where she worked in a record store; her volunteer work as support staff for the Golden Gate Country Bluegrass Festival brought encouragement for her vocal ambitions and she began performing in Bay Area showcases, eventually making her professional debut opening for
Eric AndersenEric Andersen is an American singer-songwriter.- Overview :Eric Andersen was born in Pittsburgh. In the early-1960s, he was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York City...
at a club in
Vancouver BCVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
. In 1975 Larson auditioned for
Hoyt AxtonHoyt Wayne Axton was an American country music singer-songwriter, and a film and television actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well...
who was producing
Commander CodyCommander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was an American country rock band, active from 1967 to 1976.-History:Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
with the result that Larson performed with Commander Cody during their gig opening the "Diamonds and Rust" tour for
Joan BaezJoan Chandos Baez is a folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style...
and accrued her first recording credit on the 1975 Commander Cody album
Tales From the Ozone: Larson would also provide background vocals for Commander Cody albums in 1977 and 1978. Other early session singing credits for Larson were for Hoyt Axton and
Guy ClarkGuy Clark is an American country music artist. In his career, he has released more than twenty albums, primarily on major labels. He has also written singles for other artists, including Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner and Rodney Crowell....
in 1976 and in 1977 for
Mary Kay PlaceMary Kay Place is an American actress, singer, director and screen writer.-Early life & career:Place was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Bradley E. Place. She graduated from Nathan Hale High School and the University of Tulsa, where her father was an art professor and where she was a...
,
Rodney CrowellRodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
,
Billy Joe ShaverBilly Joe Shaver is an American country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
,
Jesse Colin YoungJesse Colin Young is an American singer / songwriter / folksinger. His career began in 1960s Greenwich Village and he released two solo albums before forming The Youngbloods. The group signed with RCA and released "Grizzly Bear" , followed by their debut, Youngbloods, in 1967...
,
Jesse WinchesterJesse Winchester is the stage name of musician James Ridout Winchester Winchester was raised in northern Mississippi and the city of Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in 1966...
and
Gary StewartGary Stewart was a country musician and songwriter known for his distinctive vibrato voice and his southern rock influenced, outlaw country sound...
.
Larson's work with
Emmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists.-...
- the album
Luxury LinerLuxury Liner was the second successive #1 country album for Emmylou Harris on the Billboard Music Charts, although, unlike the preceding Elite Hotel, there were no #1 hits from this album...
(1977) prominently showcased Larson on the cut "Hello Stranger" - led to her meeting Harris' associate and friend
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...
who became friends with Larson. In the spring of 1977 Larson was at Ronstadt's
MalibuMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
home when neighbor
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
phoned to ask Ronstadt if she could recommend a female vocal accompanist, and Ronstadt suggested Larson, becoming the fifth person that day to put Larson's name forward to Young. Young came over to meet Larson who recalled: "Neil ran down all the songs he had just written, about twenty of them. We sang harmonies with him and he was jazzed."
http://www.cameroncrowe.com/journalism/articles/crowe_jrl_nicolette_lrsn.html
The following week Ronstadt and Larson cut their vocals for Young's
American Stars 'n Bars album at Young's
La HondaLa Honda is a small unincorporated town in San Mateo County in the state of California. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Silicon Valley and the Pacific coast of California, western United States. The population of the Cuesta La Honda subdivision is approximately 1,500, with a...
ranch - the two women were billed on the album as the Saddlebags - and in November 1977 Young invited Larson to Nashville to sing on the sessions for his
Comes a TimeComes a Time is a 1978 album by Neil Young, and a return to the country/folk rock sound of Harvest .Many of the tracks are highlighted by harmony vocals from Nicolette Larson. Originally, it had started out as a solo record, but when Young played it for Reprise executives they asked him if he...
album, an assignment which led to Larson's being signed to
Warner BrothersWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
, an affiliate of Young's home label
RepriseReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, which is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
. Larson continued her session singing career into 1978 accruing credit on recordings by
Marcia BallMarcia Ball is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana.-Career:...
,
Rodney CrowellRodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
, Emmylou Harris' (
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent TownQuarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town was a #3 country album for Emmylou Harris on the Billboard charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" at #3, "Two More Bottles of Wine" at #1 , and "Easy from Now On" at #12...
) and
Norton BuffaloNorton Buffalo is a singer-songwriter, country and blues harmonica player, record producer, bandleader and recording artist. He is best known as a versatile exponent of the harmonica, including chromatic and diatonic.-Career:Buffalo, the son of a harmonica player, was born in Oakland, CA and...
. Larson also contributed vocals to
the Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. They have sold over 30 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
'
Minute by MinuteMinute by Minute is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1978. . The album contains their biggest hit, the Grammy-winning "What a Fool Believes". "Depending on You" and the title track were also released as singles...
whose producer
Ted TemplemanTed Templeman is an American record producer.-Career:He began his career in the mid 1960s in the Santa Cruz area as a drummer in a band called The Tikis. At the suggestion of Lenny Waronker, the group decided to change their name. Harpers Bizarre was born in 1966, with Templeman switching to...
would be responsible for Larson's debut album
NicoletteNicolette is a UK singer-songwriter of Nigerian parentage. Currently living in London, she was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and has lived in Nigeria, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Her music, although falling broadly into the field of electronica, is characterised by myriad influences,...
.
1978-83
Released in September of 1978, the
NicoletteNicolette is a UK singer-songwriter of Nigerian parentage. Currently living in London, she was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and has lived in Nigeria, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Her music, although falling broadly into the field of electronica, is characterised by myriad influences,...
album was an eclectic mix of rock, C&W and R&B which recalled
Maria MuldaurMaria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the folk music revival of the early 1960s...
's
eponymous debutMaria Muldaur is the eponymous 1973 first solo release of musician Maria Muldaur. The album includes Muldaur's best-known single, "Midnight at the Oasis", which charted at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Three Dollar Bill", which charted at #7 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts...
from 1973. Despite the release of her album so late in the year, Larson was acclaimed Female Vocalist of 1978 by
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
who opined no one else could sound as if she were having so much fun on an album and
Nicolette reached #15 on Billboard's album chart aided by the hit single "
Lotta Love"Lotta Love" is a Neil Young composition which as recorded by Nicolette Larson reached #8 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in February 1979 and also reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart ranking as the #10 Adult Contemporary hit of the year....
" a
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
composition. Larson's "Lotta Love" peaked at #8 the week of 10 February 1979, the same week the single off
Comes a Time: "Four Strong Winds" a duet with an unbilled (on the single) Larson, debuted on the Hot 100 on its way to a #61 peak. (A track from the
Comes a Time sessions featuring Larson: "Sail Away", was included on the otherwise live Neil Young album
Rust Never SleepsRust Never Sleeps is an album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse released in 1979. The bulk of the album was recorded live at San Francisco's Cow Palace, with overdubs added. Audience noise is removed as much as possible, although it is clearly audible at certain points, most noticeably on the opening...
released in 1979.)
Warner Brothers also issued the limited edition (50000 copies) promo-only
Live at the Roxy album comprising a 20 December 1978 concert given by Larson at the
Sunset BoulevardSunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
nightclub. Larson was also featured on the
No NukesNo Nukes: The Muse Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future was a 1979 triple live album that contained selections from the September 1979 Madison Square Garden concerts by the Musicians United for Safe Energy collective, with Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall being the key...
album recorded in September of 1979 at
Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City. It is also the name of the entity which owns the arena and several of the professional sports franchises which play there. There have been four incarnations of...
backed by
the Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. They have sold over 30 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
in her performance of "Lotta Love"; Larson can be seen in the
No NukesNo Nukes is a 1980 documentary and concert film that contained selections from the September 1979 Madison Square Garden concerts by the Musicians United for Safe Energy collective, with Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall being the key organizers of the event and guiding forces...
film but her performance was not included.
Like Maria Muldaur, Larson would be unable to consolidate the commercial success augured by her debut: the second single off
Nicolette, "Rhumba Girl"
1 just missed becoming a major hit for Larson at #48 and her sophomore album
In the Nick of Time released November 1979 failed to showcase Larson's voice attractively. Don Shewey in
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
opined: "Larson's rough-edged, down-home tone is definitely appealing - especially when she backs up the likes of Neil Young and
Steve GoodmanSteve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
[whose
High and Outside album featured a duet with Larson: "The One That Got Away"] — but as a soloist, her limited vocal resources are severely taxed" - "It's symptomatic of Nicolette Larson's problems as a performer that the finest singing on
In the Nick of Time is by
Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald is a gold and platinum-selling American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. He is sometimes described as a "blue-eyed soul" singer and sings in a distinctive "husky, soulful" yet baritone range...
. 'Let Me Go, Love'...McDonald's entrancing vocal presence...so overshadows Larson's that she seems to be playing second fiddle rather than sharing the lead. Elsewhere, Larson is dwarfed by
Ted TemplemanTed Templeman is an American record producer.-Career:He began his career in the mid 1960s in the Santa Cruz area as a drummer in a band called The Tikis. At the suggestion of Lenny Waronker, the group decided to change their name. Harpers Bizarre was born in 1966, with Templeman switching to...
's typically luxurious production".
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nicolettelarson/albums/album/7072529/review/6210045/in_the_nick_of_time
Released as the album's lead single "Let Me Go Love" was only a peripheral hit reaching #35 in February of 1980 - that year Larson would be heard more on the airwaves via guest appearances on "Say You'll Be Mine" by
Christopher CrossChristopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him all of the "Big Four" Grammy Awards in one year, a feat that is yet to be equalled...
and the
Dirt BandThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
's "Make a Little Magic". Larson had enough residual popularity from her debut for
In the Nick of Time to become a moderate success. However without the boost of a major hit Larson's commercial decline was evidenced by the muted impact of her 1981 and 1982 album releases:
Radioland - her last album produced by Templeman - and
All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go even though both releases showed Larson back in strong vocal form. Larson almost had a hit with her remake of "
I Only Want to Be With You"I Only Want to Be with You" is a song by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. It was the first solo single released by British singer Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer Johnny Franz...
" (#53) perhaps the least effective track on
All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go; that album was produced by
Andrew GoldAndrew Gold is an American singer, musician and songwriter, best known in his homeland for his 1977 Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" and the 1978 single "Thank You for Being a Friend." His best known solo single in the UK is "Never Let Her Slip Away", which reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978...
to whom Larson was for a time married following a brief early marriage to songwriter Hank DeVito and liaisons with Neil Young and Ted Templeman.
Larson had continued her session singing career accruing credits on releases by Tom Johnston,
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...
(
Mad LoveMad Love is a Platinum certified, Grammy nominated 1980 Punk and New Wave inspired album by singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard album chart - a record at the time and a first for any female artist - and quickly became Linda's seventh consecutive...
),
Graham NashGraham William Nash is a British singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer.- Music career...
,
John StewartJohn Stewart was an American songwriter and singer. He is best-known as the songwriter of The Monkees' #1 hit song Daydream Believer, and he has also been recognized for his contributions to the American folk music movement of the early and mid 1960s while a member of The Kingston Trio .- Early...
,
Albert HammondAlbert Hammond is a Gibraltarian-British singer, songwriter and music producer. Hammond is one of the more successful pop/rock songwriters to come out of England during the 1960s and 1970s, and has also enjoyed a long career as a recording artist, his work popular in two languages on three...
and
Rita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a mulitiple Grammy Award winning American vocalist. During the '70s and '80s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts. She is of Scottish and Cherokee Native American ancestry.-Personal life:She graduated from Andrew Jackson Senior High in...
. Larson again backed
the Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. They have sold over 30 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
on their
One Step CloserOne Step Closer may refer to:Albums:* One Step Closer , an album by The Doobie Brothers, and the title song* One Step Closer , and the title song* One Step Closer...
album - she can be heard on the hit "Real Love" - and a song Larson co-wrote with
John McFeeJohn McFee is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. One of his first exploits was playing pedal steel guitar on Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey, he later played on the title track of Morrison's next album Saint Dominic's Preview...
and
Patrick SimmonsPatrick Simmons is an American singer and guitarist best known as a member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers. He grew up in the San Jose area and went to Oster Elementary School and Leigh High School....
entitled "Can't Let It Get Away" was a 1981 single release for the Doobie Brothers in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; the song was also featured on the Doobie Brothers'
Farewell TourFarewell Tour is the first live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1983. . It documents what they thought would be their final concert. The front cover shows Keith Knudsen cutting the strings on John McFee's guitar as a symbolic gesture. Original lead vocalist and...
album (1983). Larson also contributed a harmony vocal on the track "Could This Be Magic" on the
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
album
Women and Children First (1980) to thank
Eddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijkz "Eddie" Van Halen , is a Dutch-born American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. Van Halen is widely known for his rapid guitar playing, tapping, and high frequency feedback...
for contributing a guitar solo to the
Nicolette album track "Can't Get Away From You" against
David Lee RothDavid Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality, best known as the original and current lead singer of Van Halen. In addition to his work with Van Halen, Roth is a successful solo artist, having released several platinum and gold solo albums...
's wishes. (Larson would be the maid of honor at Eddie Van Halen's marriage to
Valerie BertinelliValerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her role as Bonnie Franklin's daughter, Barbara Cooper Royer, on the television series One Day at a Time.-Early years:...
.)
Larson's recording of the
Burt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist and composer. He is known for his pop hits from the early 1960s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David, many of which were produced for and recorded by Dionne Warwick....
/
Carole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter and singer.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
song "Fool Me Again" was featured on the bestselling soundtrack album for the 1981 film
ArthurArthur is a film set in New York City which tells the story of drunken millionaire playboy Arthur Bach , who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, Susan Johnson ....
despite not being heard in the film: Larson was also featured on the soundtrack album for
National Lampoon's VacationNational Lampoon's Vacation is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall...
(1983) with the track "Summer Hearts".
- 1"Rhumba Girl" was written by Jesse Winchester who introduced it as "Rhumba Man" on his Nothing But a Breeze album; although Larson had been a session singer on Nothing But a Breeze she had not sung on "Rhumba Man" first hearing the song at a live performance by Winchester.
1983 -
Larson's appearance in a touring production of the
C&WCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
musical
Pump Boys and DinettesPump Boys and Dinettes is a musical written by a performance group of the same name. The performance group, "Pump Boys and Dinettes" consists of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann...
garnered enough positive reaction for
MCA NashvilleMCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part...
to sign her in 1983: the Nashville music community was so enthused about Larson's C&W cross-over that the Academy of Country Music named her the Best New Female Vocalist in 1984 before she'd had any MCA Nashville releases. In fact Larson's MCA debut
...Say When was not released until 1985 and the C&W career it ushered in proved anti-climactic with only one of Larson's six MCA single releases becoming a significant hit: her duet with
Steve WarinerSteven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
entitled "That's How You Know When Love's Right" - taken from the April 1986 album release
Rose of My Heart - reached #9 C&W. Larson's MCA albums - produced by
Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr., born December 25, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a Grammy Award- winning musician and music producer. Since 1989, he has been married to country music artist Patty Loveless. Gordy was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992. His wife joined him in the Hall of Fame in...
and
Tony BrownTony Brown is a American country music record producer.Tony went to Elem. School in Walkertown, NC.at Walkertown Elem. School. Tony's roots are in Southern Gospel Quartet music. He began in the early 1960s as a teenager as pianist for the Dixie Melody Boys. He also served a brief stint with the...
- attracted little critical attention: in a
Stereo Review critique headed "No No Nicolette" which characterized Larson as a faded Pop star for whom C&W music represented "the Last Chance Saloon",
Alanna NashAlanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
opined Larson sounded as if she were reading lyrics off cue cards. Nash's review of
Rose of My Heart - in which Nash stated her earlier review had drawn a response from Larson's manager implying Nash had taken "etiquette lessons from the
Marquis de SadeDonatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary and writer. His works include novels, short stories, plays, and political tracts; in his lifetime some were published under his own name, while others appeared anonymously and Sade denied being their author...
" - granted that Larson's interpretive skills showed improvement.
Larson's final mainstream album release was
Shadows of Love a 1988 recording made for the Italian CGD label and produced by Carlo Stretti and Ernesto Taberelli. In 1990 Larson participated in the Festival di Sanremo duetting with Grazia Di Michele, the song "Me and My Father".
Larson's final album was the self-produced
Sleep, Baby, Sleep comprising music for children and released on Sony in 1994.
Larson's further session vocal credits comprised work with
Paul Barrere and the BluesbustersPaul Barrere is a current member of the band Little Feat, having joined the band in 1972. Barrere has also recorded and performed with many notable musicians including Chicken Legs, Blues Busters, , Valerie Carter, Helen Watson, Chico Hamilton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer, Eikichi Yazawa, and...
,
Jimmy BuffettJames William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and recently a movie producer best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday". He has a devoted base of fans known as "Parrotheads"...
,
Carlene CarterCarlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
, Robert Forman, the Georgia Satellites,
Marc JordanMarc Jordan , is a multi-genre Canadian musician known both as a songwriter and session musician for other artists, and as a singer in his own right.-Biography:...
,
Troy Newman,
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best-known for her work in country music....
,
Guthrie Thomas and
"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian, and satirist. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
. In 1992 Larson reunited professionally with
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
to sing on his
Harvest MoonHarvest Moon is a studio album album by Neil Young, released in 1992. Due to the abundance of musicians appearing on it who also appeared on his 1972 album Harvest, Harvest Moon is considered a pseudo-sequel to that album....
album; in 1993 Larson was featured on Young's
UnpluggedUnplugged is a 1993 live album by Neil Young. It contains a previously unreleased song "Stringman", that dates from 1976. The taping of the show was also released on VHS....
. Larson also provided vocal accompaniment on "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Greensleeves" the two tracks Neil Young contributed to
Seven Gates : A Christmas Album by Ben KeithBen Keith is an American pedal steel guitarist, from Bowling Green, Kentucky. He worked as a session musician in Nashville in the late 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for his work with Neil Young, both in stage shows and on albums such as Harvest, Tonight's the Night, Comes A Time, Harvest...
and Friends (1994).
In 1988 Larson contributed to the soundtracks of the films
Renegade and
Twins with respectively the tracks "Let Me Be the One" and "I'd Die For this Dance"; the latter was performed live onscreen by Larson accompanied by
Jeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three noted guitarists — the others being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page — to have played with The Yardbirds...
.
Larson also contributed to the seasonal albums
Tennessee Christmas (1987) with "One Bright Star",
Acoustic Christmas (1988) with "Christmas is a Time for Giving" and
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1989) with "Nothing But a Child" and "One Bright Star".
The
Live at the Roxy album recorded in 1978 was given its first full release on
RhinoRhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company, owned by Warner Music Group.-Company history:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of Pop Music, Rock & Roll, and R&B successes from...
in 2006.
Personal Life
She was married to
Russ KunkelRussell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...
from 1990 until her death. Their daughter Elsie May Larson-Kunkel was born in 1990.
Death
Larson died on December 16, 1997 in
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
as a result of complications arising from
cerebral edemaCerebral edema is an excess accumulation of water in the intracellular and/or extracellular spaces of the brain.- Vasogenic cerebral edema:...
triggered by liver failure. According to her friend
Astrid YoungAstrid Young is a Canadian singer/songwriter. She is the daughter of Scott Young and Astrid Mead. After her brother and fellow musician Neil Young bought Astrid her first amp in the 1970s, she began to explore her own musical talents...
, Larson had been showing symptoms of depression and her fatal seizure "was in no small way related to her chronic use of Valium and Tylenol PM".
1
Larson is buried in
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills CemeteryForest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
.
A benefit concert was held in Larson's honor the following February, with tribute concerts staged on the tenth anniversary of her passing in December 2007 and also the following year.
- 1Young, Astrid. Being Young. p.107, Insomniac Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-897178-45-4.
Albums
| Year |
Album |
Chart Positions |
Certifications |
| US The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
US Country |
CAN |
RIAA |
CRIA A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It is thought to come from the Spanish word criar.-Alpaca crias:...
|
| 1978 |
Nicolette Nicolette by Nicolette Larson was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1978. It reached #15 on the US pop charts and was certified gold in the US and Canada....
|
15 |
|
1 |
Gold |
Gold |
| 1979 |
In the Nick of Time |
47 |
|
71 |
|
|
| 1979 |
Live At The Roxy (only as Promo Promo may refer to:*Promotion , one of the four aspects of marketing*Promotional music videos, such as those played on MTV*Promotional recording, a recording distributed free in order to promote a commercial recording...
) |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1981 |
Radioland |
62 |
|
|
|
|
| 1982 |
All Dressed Up & No Place To Go |
75 |
|
|
|
|
| 1985 |
...Say When |
|
48 |
|
|
|
| 1986 |
Rose of My Heart |
|
40 |
|
|
|
| 1987 |
Shadows of Love |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1994 |
Sleep, Baby, Sleep |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1999 |
The Very Best of Nicolette Larson |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2006 |
A Tribute to Nicolette Larson: Lotta Love Concert |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2006 |
Live At The Roxy (recorded in 1979) |
|
|
|
|
|
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart Positions |
Album |
| US Country Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
|
US The 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...
|
US AC The Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
|
CAN Country |
CAN |
CAN AC |
| 1978 |
"Lotta Love "Lotta Love" is a Neil Young composition which as recorded by Nicolette Larson reached #8 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in February 1979 and also reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart ranking as the #10 Adult Contemporary hit of the year....
" |
|
8 |
1 |
|
4 |
1 |
Nicolette |
| 1979 |
"Rhumba Girl" |
|
47 |
38 |
|
15 |
4 |
| "Give a Little" |
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
| "Let Me Go, Love"A |
|
35 |
9 |
|
85 |
32 |
In the Nick of Time |
| 1980 |
"Dancin' Jones" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Back in My Arms" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1981 |
"Ooo-Eee" |
|
110 |
|
|
|
|
Radioland |
| "When You Come Around" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Radioland" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Fool Me Again" |
|
105 |
|
|
|
|
Arthur (soundtrack) |
| 1982 |
"I Only Want to Be With You" |
|
53 |
15 |
|
|
8 |
All Dressed Up & No Place To Go |
| 1985 |
"Only Love Will Make Love Right" |
42 |
|
|
33 |
|
|
...Say When |
| "When You Get a Little Lonely" |
46 |
|
|
41 |
|
|
| "Building Bridges" |
72 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1986 |
"Let Me Be the First" |
63 |
|
|
|
|
|
Rose of My Heart |
"That's How You Know When Love's Right"
(w/ Steve WarinerSteven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
) |
9 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
"That's More About Love
(Than I Wanted to Know)" |
49 |
|
|
|
|
|
A Reached #96 on the Black Singles chart
External links