Gwendolyn Guthrie (July 9, 1950 – February 3, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist who also sang backing vocals for

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

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, Peter Tosh, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made famous by Ben E. King, Angela Bofill and

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", " W ...

. Guthrie is well known for her 1986 anthem " Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent," and for her 1986 cover of the song "

(They Long to Be) Close to You "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The best-known version is that recorded by American duo the Carpenters for their second studio album '' Close to You'' (1970) and produced by Jack Daugherty. Rel ...

Life and career

Guthrie was born and raised in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. In school, she studied

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

, and her father began teaching her

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

when she was eight years old. By the early 1970s, she had joined vocal groups such as the Ebonettes and the Matchmakers, while working as an elementary school teacher. She was a backup singer on

's 1974 single " I'm in Love". Guthrie soon began moonlighting as a singer of commercial jingles, sometimes with her friend Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson fame. A song-writing partnership with then-boyfriend, trombonist/bassist Haras Fyre (professionally known as "Patrick Grant") resulted in Ben E. King's comeback single " Supernatural Thing," an R&B #1 (#5 pop) hit in 1975, and the follow-up, "Do It In the Name of Love (#4 R&B). They also wrote " This Time I'll Be Sweeter" for Angela Bofill, which was later covered by numerous artists. Together they wrote seven tracks on Sister Sledge's 1975 album ''Circle of Love'': "Cross My Heart," "Protect Our Love," "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me," "Don't You Miss Him Now," "Pain Reliever," "You're Much Better Off Loving Me," and "Fireman." She also wrote

's "God Don't Like Ugly." As Guthrie's solo career developed, she worked extensively with

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...

on dub-influenced club cuts, and began racking up

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

hits. She was dubbed "The First Lady of the Paradise Garage," as several of her songs became anthems at that venue, helped by the frequent and dynamic performances she gave there. She soon teamed musically with famed Paradise Garage DJ

Larry Levan Larry Levan (; born Lawrence Philpot, July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992) was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern ...

, and recorded her first major landmark hit "Padlock" in 1983 with the Compass Point All Stars in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...

, which became a club and radio hit two years later. She also sang backup on Madonna's 1982 debut album. Guthrie is probably best known for her 1986 dance anthem " Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent," a self-written and produced track which garnered some controversy for its materialistic lyrics such as, "You've got to have a j-o-b if you want to be with me/No romance without finance." "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" was later sampled by numerous dance and hip hop artists, notably by Foxy Brown in her 1998 song "JOB" featuring

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

, and by

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for the original version of their hit "What Can You Do for Me." The song is referenced in the

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monologue "No Romance without Finance" in his '' Eddie Murphy Raw'' comedy special. Guthrie also had a hit in 1986 with a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of "

," which reached number twenty-five on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

the same year. Her 1988 single "Can't Love You Tonight" boldly addressed

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

at a time when the disease was a rather taboo subject. Guthrie was an ally of the gay community, and of people with AIDS. Proceeds from the single went to the AIDS Coalition. Other club hits by Guthrie include the Compass Point All Stars-produced "Seventh Heaven," "Peanut Butter," and "Peek-a-Boo." "Padlock" was later covered by M People, who included it on their 1995 album '' Bizarre Fruit'', featuring vocalist Heather Small.

Death

Guthrie died of uterine cancer on February 3, 1999, at the age of 48, and was interred at Fairmount Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation albums

*''Ticket to Ride'' (1987, 4th & B'way) *''Ultimate Collection'' (1999, Hip-O)

Singles

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Patrick Grant (Haras Fyre)
at Fyremusic.com
Podcast feature on Guthrie's life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guthrie, Gwen 1950 births 1999 deaths People from Okemah, Oklahoma African-American women singer-songwriters African-American songwriters African-American pianists American boogie musicians American dance musicians American disco musicians American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul singers Island Records artists Polydor Records artists Warner Records artists Reprise Records artists Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Deaths from uterine cancer Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women singers Musicians from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from New Jersey