New York, born singer Marlena Shaw began her career in the mid 1960s in the jazz clubs of the big city, performing with jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee. But her talent as a song stylist became increasingly noteworthy, and she was signed by Chicago’s Chess Records, for which she recorded a series of albums that appealed to both jazz and R&B music communities.
It was in the early 1970s that Marlena Shaw truly became a star, her stunning looks and equally stunning voice winning over fans around the world, and landing hits like “Woman of the Ghetto” and her signature song, “California Soul.” The latter is still revered today, sampled often and with over 100 million streams on Spotify alone.
Shaw’s sultry, honeyed vocals, coupled with socially conscious lyrics, captivated audiences of the era. And she took her fame to another level after signing with Columbia Records and hitting the top 20 with 1977’s Sweet Beginnings. Over the next decade she also recorded for Verve, Polydor, and Concord Jazz, and continued to release albums right into the early 2000s. She also regularly perform on stages around the world.
In the end, Marlena Shaw was an artist whose broad talent made her tough to categorize, a singer who was comfortable singing pop, soul, jazz and just about anything else around which she wrapped her exquisite phrasing.
