Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (born August 22, 1953)
is an American singer from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, best known for the
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
dance hits "
High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot".
Thomas has an entertainment incorporated company, called Eljopan Entertainment Incorporated.
Career
Although best known worldwide for her 1980s
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
, techno club hits,
Thomas recorded and performed disco,
Eurobeat
Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurorec ...
, R&B, and
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
songs in the 1980s. She was discovered by British producer
Ian Levine
Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...
, who was in the US in 1975 scouting for gospel and soul singers he could promote in the UK. The two recorded several tracks which resulted in a contract with 20th Century Records.
Thomas scored a chart hit with her first single, reaching the UK top 30 in 1976 with the single "Weak Spot,"
co-written by Levine and
Paul David Wilson. A follow-up single, "Doomsday", entered the UK charts twice,
and Levine and Thomas would continue their association for quite some time. She signed to US label
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently f ...
for her first album release ''I Wanna Make It on My Own'',
released 1978. With Casablanca doing little to promote the LP, she switched to AVI Records for the double A-side 12-inch single "Have a Little Faith in Me" / "No Time to Turn Around" which prompted the label to release it as an LP, backed with Rick Gianatos' extended remixes of her 1976 tracks "My Head's in the Stars" and "Love's Not Just an Illusion".
By 1984, Levine had re-established himself as a producer and asked Thomas to come to London to record a new track "
High Energy". Just few weeks after it was released, it was a chart hit in Europe - peaking at No. 1 in Germany
and peaked at No. 5 in the UK.
The song was her only
''Billboard'' Hot 100 entry, peaking at No. 85, although three additional songs hit the Billboard dance chart.
The follow-up single, "Masquerade", was taken from her third album ''High Energy'', released the same year. While it received heavy rotation in European clubs, it failed to break into the UK top 40.
Later in the year, "Heartless" became her only single other than "High Energy" to chart outside of the dance charts in the United States. "Heartless" peaked at No. 84 on the Black Singles chart (later renamed the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
chart) in 1985.
Though she would not return to the US pop or R&B charts, she had a dance chart hit with a cover of
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
' 1967 song "
Reflections", peaking at No. 18 on the
Hot Dance Music/Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...
chart in early 1986. A second Thomas release that summer fared even better on the dance charts, with "How Many Hearts" narrowly missing the top 10, peaking at No. 11.
The two songs would later appear on Thomas' fourth album release, ''Standing at the Crossroads'', in 1986.
Discography
Studio albums
*''I Wanna Make It on My Own'' (
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently f ...
, 1978)
*''Have a Little Faith in Me'' (AVI Records, 1979)
*''High Energy'' (Record Shack, 1984)
*''Standing at the Crossroads'' (Record Shack, 1986)
Compilation albums
*''The Best of Evelyn Thomas'' (Hot Productions, 1991)
*''High Energy: The Best of Evelyn Thomas'' (Hallmark, 2000)
Singles
See also
*
*
Soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
References
External links
Discographyat
Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...
.
Evelyn Thomasat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Evelyn
1953 births
Living people
Singers from Chicago
American women singers
American disco musicians
American house musicians
American soul singers
American Hi-NRG musicians
American women in electronic music
21st-century American women