Marlena Shaw, singer of the hit “California Soul”, has died at the age of 81.

Marlena Shaw, singer of the hit “California Soul”, has died at the age of 81.


Singer Marlena Shaw, known for the hit song “California Soul,” died Friday 1/19 at the age of 81. The news was spread on Facebook by her daughter Marla, without details on the cause of her death.

“Hello everyone, it is with a very heavy heart that, on behalf of myself and my family, I announce that our beloved mother, icon and beloved artist, Marlena Shaw, passed away today at 12:03 pm,” Marla said in the video . . “She was at peace, we were at peace,” she added.

Career and successes

Born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1942, Shaw signed with Chess Records, a popular Chicago blues/R&B label, in 1966. Her biggest hit, “California Soul,” was released on her 1969 album, ” The Spice of Life”. .

“California Soul” was written by Ashford & Simpson and initially recorded by The Messengers, but it was the singer’s version that became iconic, becoming one of the most sampled in hip hop history – with excerpts appearing on Gang Starr recordings , DJ Shadow, Diplo and Nightmares on Wax, among others – as well as integrating soundtracks from blockbusters such as “A Master’s Exit” (2003) and “O Poder ea Lei” (2011), without forgetting the video game “Grand Theft Auto V ” (2013) and many TV commercials. The song has more than 100 million streams on Spotify.

He also had much success with the 1977 album “Sweet Beginnings”, the best-selling album of his career, thanks to the song “Look at Me, Look at You”, which two decades later returned as a hit on the rare groove /. acid scene, British jazz. He also had a big hit with “Don’t Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow”, the theme song from the movie “Looking for Mr. Goodbar”.

Marlene Shaw had a career spanning fifty years and remained active until recently. In 2015 she performed at SESC Pompeia, in Sao Paulo.

Source: Terra

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