Marlena Shaw

Marlena Shaw
Shaw in 1967
Background information
Birth name	Marlina Burgess
Born	(1939-09-22)September 22, 1939 New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Died	January 19, 2024(2024-01-19) (aged 84)
Genres	R&B[1] jazz[2] soul[3]
Occupation	Singer
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	1967–2024
Labels	Cadet Blue Note Columbia Verve

Marlina Burgess (September 22, 1939 – January 19, 2024), professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and continued to perform until her death. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television commercials.

Background

Marlena Shaw was born in New Rochelle, New York. She was first introduced to music by her uncle Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpet player.^[4] In an interview with The New York Times, she told the reporter: "He [Jimmy Burgess] introduced me to good music through records – Dizzy [Gillespie], Miles [Davis], a lot of gospel things, and Al Hibbler, who really knows how to phrase a song." In 1952, Burgess brought her on stage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to sing with his band. Shaw's mother did not want Marlena to go on tour with her uncle at such a young age. Shaw enrolled in the New York State Teachers College in Potsdam (now known as the State University of New York at Potsdam) to study music but she later dropped out.^[5]

Career

Shaw began to make singing appearances in jazz clubs whenever she could spare the time. The most notable of these appearances was in 1963 when she worked with jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee. She was supposed to play at the Newport Jazz Festival with McGhee and his band, but left the group after getting into an argument with one of the band members. Later that year, she got an audition with Columbia label talent scout John Hammond. Shaw did not perform well during the audition because she was too nervous. Undeterred, she continued to play small clubs until 1966. Her career took off in 1966 when she landed a gig with the Playboy Club chain in Chicago. It was through this gig that she met with representatives of the Chess Records music label, and soon signed with them. She released her first two albums on their subsidiary Cadet Records. A 1969 album track "California Soul", a funk-soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson and originally issued as a single by American pop quintet The 5th Dimension, later became a staple of the UK rare groove scene. This song has appeared in television commercials for Dockers, KFC^[6] and Dodge Ram trucks.^[7] Unable to find her own style at Chess, she moved to the jazz-oriented Blue Note Records in 1972.

In 1977 she released an LP Sweet Beginnings on Columbia that contained: "Yu Ma / Go Away Little Boy", a medley containing the old Goffin and Carole King standard, originally recorded by Nancy Wilson. The album also contained the track "Look at Me, Look at You", again popular on the UK rare groove scene. She sang the theme song "Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow" from the 1977 film Looking for Mr. Goodbar, that is also found on its soundtrack. She also recorded one of the disco era's biggest hits, a remake of "Touch Me in the Morning", also on Columbia Records.

In 1982 Marlena recorded the Gary Taylor ballad called "Without You in My Life" from the LP Let Me in Your Life, that was jointly produced by Johnny Bristol and Webster Lewis on South Bay Records. This had moderate chart success in the US. In 1983 she recorded the vocals for "Could It Be You", a track by Phil Upchurch on his Name of the Game album.

Shaw continued to perform and record. In 1999, 2001 and again in 2007, Shaw was one of the performers at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.^[8][9][10]

Death

Shaw died on January 19, 2024, at the age of 84.^[11]

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart positions			Label
		US [12]	US R&B [12]	US Jazz [12]
1967	Out of Different Bags	—	—	—	Cadet
1969	The Spice of Life	—	—	—
1972	Marlena	—	—	—	Blue Note
1973	From the Depths of My Soul	—	—	—
1974	Marlena Shaw Live at Montreux	—	—	—
1975	Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?	159	47	8
1976	Just a Matter of Time	—	—	25
1977	Sweet Beginnings	62	14	12	Columbia
1978	Acting Up	171	—	—
1979	Take a Bite	—	—	—
1982	Let Me in Your Life	—	—	—	South Bay
1987	It Is Love (Recorded Live at Vine St.)	—	—	7	Verve
1988	Love Is in Flight	—	—	20	Polydor
1996	Dangerous	—	—	—	Concord Jazz
1997	Elemental Soul	—	—	—
2002	Live in Tokyo	—	—	—	441 Records
2004	Lookin' for Love	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

As guest

Source:^[13]

With Benny Carter

• Songbook (MusicMasters, 1996)
• Songbook Volume II (MusicMasters, 1997)

With others

• Buddy Montgomery, Ties of Love (Landmark, 1987)
• T-square, Vocal² (or Vocal Square) (Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), 2002)

Singles

As lead artist

List of charting and certified singles as a lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Year	Chart positions									Certifications	Album
		US [14]	US Cash Box [15]	US R&B /HH [16]	US R&B Cash Box [17]	US Dance [18]	CAN AC [19]	UK Dance [20]	UK Disco [21]	UK R&B [22]
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"	1967	58	66	33	37	—	—	—	—	11		Non-album single
"It's Better Than Walkin' Out"	1976	—	—	74	83	—	—	—	—	—		Just a Matter of Time
"Pictures And Memories"	1977	—	—	—	—	24	—	—	—	—		Sweet Beginnings
"Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy"		—	79	21	19	—	—	46	35	—
"Theme from Looking for Mr. Goodbar (Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)"	1978	—	—	—	—	—	45	—	—	—		Looking for Mr. Goodbar
"Love Dancin'"	1979	—	—	—	—	49	—	—	—	—		Take A Bite
"Never Give Up on You"	1983	—	—	91	—	48	—	—	—	—		Let Me in Your Life
"California Soul"	2004	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	BPI: Gold[23]	The Spice of Life
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

1. Haring, Bruce (January 20, 2024). "Marlena Shaw Dies: Jazz/R&B Singer for Sampling Staple 'California Soul' Was 81". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
2. Iasimone, Ashley (January 20, 2024). "Marlena Shaw, 'California Soul' Singer, Dies at 81". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
3. Russell, Shania (January 21, 2024). "Marlena Shaw dead: 'California Soul' singer was 81". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
4. Ordoña, Michael (January 21, 2024). "'California Soul' singer Marlena Shaw dies at 81". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
5. "Marlena Shaw | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
6. Upstairs Post (June 10, 2014). "KFC "Soul Food"". Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2019 – via YouTube.
7. 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Ad - YouTube Video
8. "Marlena Shaw | NN North Sea Jazz Festival". Northseajazz.com. 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
9. "Marlena Shaw | NN North Sea Jazz Festival". Northseajazz.com. 1999. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
10. "Marlena Shaw | NN North Sea Jazz Festival". Northseajazz.com. 2001. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
11. Traub, Alex (January 28, 2024). "Marlena Shaw, Venerable Nightclub Chanteuse, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2024. Before her death, her birth year had generally been listed as 1942 or 1944, but her daughter wrote in the death announcement that she had actually been born in 1939.
12. "Marlena Shaw - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
13. "Marlena Shaw - Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
14. • For all except noted: "Marlena Shaw Chart History - Billboard (Hot 100)". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
15. • For "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy": "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. April 8, 1967. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
    • For "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy": "CASH BOX TOP 100 SINGLES" (PDF). Cashbox. June 18, 1977. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
16. • For all except noted: "Marlena Shaw Chart History | Billboard (R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
17. • For "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy": "The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B; Locations". Cashbox. April 1, 1967. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
    • For "It's Better Than Walkin' Out": "CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B" (PDF). Cashbox. June 12, 1976. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
    • For "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy": "CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B" (PDF). Cashbox. July 9, 1977. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
18. "Marlena Shaw Chart History | Billboard (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
19. For "Theme from Looking for Mr. Goodbar (Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)": "Adult Oriented Playlist". RPM. February 25, 1978. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
20. For "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy": "TOP DANCE SINGLES" (PDF). Music Week. November 5, 1988. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
21. For "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy": "DISCO TOP 40" (PDF). Music Week. September 17, 1977. p. 46. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
22. • "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy": "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror. April 15, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Worldradiohistory.com.
23. "British single certifications – Marlena Shaw – California Soul". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

External links

• Marlena Shaw interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 09
• Marlena Shaw at IMDb
• Marlena Shaw discography at Discogs