Angela Tomasa Bofill (born May 2, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter of

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

- Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, Bofill began her professional career in the mid-1970s. Bofill is most known for singles such as, "

This Time I'll Be Sweeter "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" is a soul ballad written by Haras Fyre (professionally known as Pat Grant) and Gwen Guthrie. Early versions The first release of "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" was as the B-side of the May 1975 Arista Records single r ...

", "Angel of the Night", and "I Try". Bofill's career spans over four decades.

Biography

Early life and education

Bofill was born on May 2, 1954, in the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

area of New York City to a

father and a Puerto Rican mother. Raised in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, Bofill grew up listening to Latin music and was also inspired by African-American performers. During Bofill's childhood, her weekends were taken up studying classical music and singing in New York City's All City Chorus, which featured the best singers from all of the high schools in the five boroughs. For high school, Bofill attended Hunter College High School; graduating in 1972. Bofill later studied at the Manhattan School of Music, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in 1976.

Career

Bofill began her professional career, singing during her teenage years. Bofill performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus before being introduced to

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

and Larry Rosen of the jazz label

GRP Records GRP® Records (Grusin-Rosen Productions) is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen in 1978. Distributed by Verve Records, GRP® was originally known for its digital recordings that focuses on its jazz genre. History With G ...

Dave Valentin David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent. Life and career Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Mu ...

, her friend and jazz flutist. Grusin and Rosen signed Bofill and produced her first album, '' Angie'', in 1978. ''Angie'' was well received both critically and commercially and included the chart single "

" (co-written by Gwen Guthrie and

Haras Fyre Haras Fyre (born January 5, 1953), also known professionally as Patrick Grant, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. After writing songs for Sister Sledge and Ben E. King early in his career in a songwriting duo with his ...

), and Bofill's sprawling jazz composition, "Under the Moon and Over the Sky". Less than a year later, a second album, ''

Angel of the Night ''Angel of the Night'' is the second studio album by American R&B singer Angela Bofill. It was produced by GRP Records label heads Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. The album was digitally remastered and re-released on 2001 by Buddah Records. Trac ...

'' was released and outperformed its predecessor. The album included the chart singles "What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)" and the up tempo title track, as well as the song "I Try", written by Bofill and covered by

Will Downing Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He is married to singer Audrey Wheeler, who was a member of the R&B group Unlimited Touch. Biography Downing enrolled in Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn ...

in 1991. The reception of these albums positioned Bofill as one of the first

Latina Latina or Latinas most often refers to: * Latinas, a demographic group in the United States * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America. *Latin Americans Latina and Latinas may also refer ...

singers to find success in the R&B and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

markets. Bofill performed a sold-out concert at

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, desi ...

as part of the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

on June 20, 1980. Her musical director was Onaje Allen Gumbs, keyboards, Sammy Figueroa, percussion, a 9-piece band and guests including

Steve Khan Steve Khan (born Steven Harris Cahn; April 28, 1947) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Steven Harris Cahn was born in Los Angeles. His father, lyricist Sammy Cahn, "loved to hear any and all versions of his songs". He took piano lessons as a ...

, guitar,

Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born October 19, 1941) is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet. Early life, family and education Daniel ...

, tenor sax and flute, and a 24-voice choir. Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records, showed interest in Bofill. Arista had a distribution deal with GRP. Bofill switched labels for her next album, '' Something About You'' (1981). Produced by Narada Michael Walden, the album was an attempt to move Bofill into mainstream R&B and pop music. It didn't perform as well as previous releases, despite the singles "Holdin' Out for Love" and the title track, which both reached the R&B Top 40. The following year, Bofill and Walden reunited for '' Too Tough''. The title song reached No. 5 on the R&B chart and spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Dance chart. A follow-up single, "Tonight I Give In", reached the Top 20. Several months later, Bofill released her final collaboration with Walden, '' Teaser''. The album failed to match the success of ''Too Tough'' but did produce one Top 20 R&B hit, "I'm On Your Side", which has been covered by several artists, most notably

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American actress and singer. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as '' Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

, who had a Top 10 hit with it in 1991. Bofill recorded two more albums for Arista with the help of The System and George Duke before leaving the label in the mid-1980s. Following the birth of her daughter, she moved to Capitol Records and the producer

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

for ''

Intuition Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...

'' (1988), which produced her last significant chart success, a cover of Gino Vannelli's "

I Just Wanna Stop "I Just Wanna Stop" is a song by Canadian singer/songwriter Gino Vannelli. Released as a single in August 1978, it remains his biggest hit single to date, reaching No. 1 in his native Canada and No. 4 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It appea ...

", which reached No. 11 on the R&B chart. She recorded three more albums over the next eight years and provided backing vocals on albums for Diana Ross and

Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

and for Connors's ''Eternity'' (2000). She performed live (with a sizable audience internationally, particularly in Asia) and appeared in the stage plays ''God Don't Like Ugly'' and ''What a Man Wants, What a Man Needs''. She also toured the US and Europe in multi-artist jazz shows. Bofill returned to the stage, at the suggestion of Engel, for "The Angela Bofill Experience" after losing her ability to sing after her second stroke in 2007. In the show, Bofill recounted her life and career and was joined by

Maysa Leak Maysa Leak (born August 17, 1966) is an American jazz singer better known by her mononym Maysa. She is well known by fans of smooth jazz both for her solo work and her work with the British band Incognito. Early life and career Leak attended ...

Phil Perry Philip Eugene Perry (born January 12, 1952) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and a former member of the soul group, The Montclairs, from 1971 to 1975. He was also known for performing the opening song to Disney’s sitcom, '' Goof ...

, and

Melba Moore Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba Smith (sources differ) (born October 29, 1945), known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer and actress. Biography Early life and education Moore was born Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba ...

, who performed her biggest hits and signature songs. In 2012, Bofill was profiled and interviewed for the TVOne documentary series, '' Unsung.''

Personal life

Bofill was married to a country music artist Rick Vincent from 1984 until 1994 and together they have a daughter, Shauna.

Health problems

Bofill suffered a stroke on January 10, 2006, and was paralyzed on her left side. She convalesced at Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa, California, and was released from intensive care on January 15, requiring speech and physical therapy. She lacked health insurance, and a benefit concert was organized to pay her hospital bills. The show was planned by Rich Engel, her manager, and the New York radio stations Kiss FM and WFAN-FM,. It took place on March 11, 2006, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey. Similar events followed, and other aid was sought from the

Rhythm and Blues Foundation The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music. The idea for the foundation came in 1987 during discussions about royalties with en ...

. Her album ''Live from Manila'' (recorded in September 2004) was released during this time. Bofill suffered a second stroke in July 2007 which required therapy and left both her speech and mobility impaired.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

: 1984 – Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (nominated) *

Bay Area Music Awards ''BAM'' (short for ''Bay Area Music'') was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area from January 1976 until June 1999. History ''Bay Area Music'' magazine was first published in Janua ...

(Bammies): 1984 Outstanding Black Contemporary Artist/Group

Television

* Soul Train Saturday May 28, 1983 *

The Pat Sajak Show ''The Pat Sajak Show'' was an American late-night television talk show that aired on CBS from January 9, 1989, to April 13, 1990. Cast The show was hosted by Pat Sajak, best known as host of the game show '' Wheel of Fortune''. To do the talk sh ...

January 26, 1989

References

External links

Biography
on Yahoo! Music

on SoulMusic.com
Artist profile
on GospelCity
Artist biography
on High Stakes Entertainment
Watch: Unsung Full Exclusive Angela Bofill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bofill, Angela 1954 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers American soul singers American dance musicians American contraltos American musicians of Cuban descent American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Contraltos GRP Records artists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Ballad musicians People from East Harlem 20th-century American singers People of Afro–Puerto Rican descent People of Afro–Cuban descent American people of Puerto Rican descent African-American women musicians Hispanic and Latino American women singers 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state)