Linda Lyndell
Encyclopedia
Linda Lyndell is an American soul
singer from Gainesville, Florida
.
Lyndell sang in gospel
churches as a child; though she was white
, she sang in both white and black churches, and eventually began singing with R&B groups as a teenager. In the 1960s she sang as a support act with James Brown
and Ike & Tina Turner
, and in 1967 Atlanta disc jockey
Dave Crawford
tipped her to Stax Records
producers Isaac Hayes
and David Porter
. They recorded her first single, "Bring Your Love Back to Me", in December 1967 and released it on Volt Records, but the song did not become a hit. In 1968 she did a second session, cutting the tune "What a Man"; this song reached #50 on the Billboard R&B charts. In response to the success of her single, she received threats from white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan
, and retired from performance soon after. She remained out of music and lived in Gainesville for the next 25 years.
In 1993, rap group Salt-n-Pepa
sampled
"What a Man" for their hit single "Whatta Man
", which was a massive hit. In the wake of the single's success, Lyndell began performing again, and in 2003, at the opening of the Stax Museum
, she performed "What a Man" live for the first time ever.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer from Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
.
Lyndell sang in gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
churches as a child; though she was white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, she sang in both white and black churches, and eventually began singing with R&B groups as a teenager. In the 1960s she sang as a support act with James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, and in 1967 Atlanta disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Dave Crawford
Dave Crawford
Dave Crawford was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii from 1917 to 1919. He also coached the Hawaii basketball team during the 1918–1919 season.-Football:-External links:...
tipped her to Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
producers Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
and David Porter
David Porter (musician)
David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
. They recorded her first single, "Bring Your Love Back to Me", in December 1967 and released it on Volt Records, but the song did not become a hit. In 1968 she did a second session, cutting the tune "What a Man"; this song reached #50 on the Billboard R&B charts. In response to the success of her single, she received threats from white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, and retired from performance soon after. She remained out of music and lived in Gainesville for the next 25 years.
In 1993, rap group Salt-n-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
"What a Man" for their hit single "Whatta Man
Whatta Man
"Whatta Man" is a 1994 single by Salt-n-Pepa and En Vogue from Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary. It was issued by Next Plateau/London Records and produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. It also appears on En Vogue's Runaway Love EP...
", which was a massive hit. In the wake of the single's success, Lyndell began performing again, and in 2003, at the opening of the Stax Museum
Stax Museum
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is a museum located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 926 McLemore Avenue, the former location of Stax Records. It is operated by Soulsville USA, which also operates the adjacent Stax Music Academy.-History:...
, she performed "What a Man" live for the first time ever.