Gwen McClee, whose gospel-infiltrated R&B hits like “Lead Me On” and “Rockin' Chair” in the early 1970s, features bounces that help open disco doors, and dance floor-friendly grooves, passed away on February 21st in Miami. She was 81 years old.
Her ex-husband and frequent sing partner George McClee said she died in a nursing home in 2012 from a stroke complication.
She had a share of hit songs nationwide, but Ms. McCrae was best known in the Miami area music scene. There, her bright R&B fits perfectly into the hot nights and subtropical atmosphere.
She released most of her most famous songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone, who counted other proto-disco acts such as Betty Wright, KC and Sunshine Band.
She began to play as a duo with McCrae. They recorded their albums, sang backups to others, and made their presence for themselves at clubs in South Florida.
They also performed separately, and Mcrae McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. By herself, she was the first to release a version of the ballad “You Always Became My Heart” in 1972. Sometimes it was shortened to “always in my heart,” and was later recorded by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and the Pet Shop Boy.
“She was incredible talent,” said Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter for TK Records and lead singer of KC and Sunshine Band, in an interview. “She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard.”
Ms. McCrae's signature hit “Rock Your Baby” became a global success in 1974. McCrae was a hit next year. “Rockin' Chair” is a sensual, swinging song above the Billboard R&B charts that reached number nine on the Hot 100 Pop chart.
There have been some controversy over how the two came to record their respective songs. Later, McCrae said Casey and Richard Finch wrote “Rock Your Baby” for her, but gave it to her husband to help his career.
But McCrae had another spin. Their marriage was on the rock and she told him “shaking your baby.”
Anyway, their marriage didn't last long. They divorced a year later.
After TK Records was closed in 1981, she moved to New York City, signed with the Atlantic, and recorded two albums in 1981, having a minor hit with “Funky Sensation.”
Her career was beginning to slow down during the post-disco era, but she found a new fan base in Europe, particularly in the UK. In the UK, the discovery of the classic American soul was underway in the 1980s.
She recorded new songs, re-recorded old songs for the local market, and found a steady stream of gigs singing over the next few decades. The DJ and hip hop artist sampled her songs. She became known as the “unusual queen of the ditch” of England and Europe.
“When I went abroad, I didn't know that people loved me so much. They really loved my old ones,” she said in an interview with a Swedish journalist in 1996. “Yeah, I was shocked!”
Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born on December 21, 1943 in Pensacola, Florida. His father, Aaron, died when he was young and was raised by his mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley.
She began singing gospel songs in the church, hoping to sing religious songs. Even later in her career, when she was locking out a disco truck filled with double seduction, she found it uncomfortable to be too clear.
“I had the worst time singing 'That's good' and 'Damn it,'” she told Granditzky, referring to the song that was released in 1976. I couldn't sing “Damn it's nice.” And I can barely say that yet. That's not me! ”
She met George McRae in 1963 while he was stationed in Pensacola with the US Navy. They quickly got married and began singing together when they left worship in 1967.
She has survived with Mr. Macley, Sofia and Leah by two daughters from the marriage. Wanda, a daughter from a previous relationship. Alex, a son from a later relationship. 12 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren.
“Funky Sensation” was her last hit in the US, but McCrae continued to make music and portrayed a dedicated follow-up for her live performances both at home and in Europe.
In 2004, she released her gospel album, “I'm In Not Ared.” Two years later, she worked with Stone again to record the standard album for the TK Records catalogue “Gwen McCrae Sings TK.”
She claimed Florida as her main residence, but toured extensively throughout Europe. She finally stopped. In 2012, a stroke left her paralyzed on the left side of her body after a concert in the UK.
