Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer of Sylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album, '' Me and You'' (1982), featured

post-disco Post-disco (also called boogie, synth-funk, or electro-funk) is a term to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1985, imprecisely beginning with an unprecedented backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to c ...

hits "I'm Your Jeanie","Sing Your Own Song" and the overlooked 1983 smash R&B and Funk hit,"Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight". From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...

where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1995, Tracy released her second album '' It's My Time''. In 2012, Tracy portrayed gospel singer

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

in the theater production ''Mahalia: A Gospel Singer''. She released an extended play ''Making New Friends'' (2015), which features past singles. Throughout her career, Tracy has scored four number-one

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 repertoir ...

singles: "The Power" (2001), "Cha Cha Heels" (2004), "Party People" (2006), and "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016).

Early life

Jeanie Autre Tracy was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas and raised in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. At a young age, Tracy began singing in her church choir at Pentecostal Church of God in Christ.Jeanie Tracy , Biography & History , AllMusic
All Music Guide. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 During her high school years, she studied opera and

classical 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 ...

. She played the lead in Oscar Brown Jr.'s stage play ''Slave Driver'' in 1970.

Career

1975–1981: Sylvester and background singing

In 1975, Tracy released her debut single "Making New Friends" on the Brown Door Records. In 1976, she contributed vocals to

Richard "Dimples" Fields Richard "Dimples" Fields (March 21, 1942 – January 12, 2000) was an American R&B and soul singer, popular during the 1980s. Career He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began singing professionally in the early 1970s, purchasing an Oakland ...

' album ''Ready For Anything''. In 1979, Tracy relocated to San Francisco, California where she was introduced to

Harvey Fuqua Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of th ...

, the manager for American

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

singer Sylvester. Soon after meeting Sylvester, Tracy became friends with him and began singing backgrounds for him in addition to his then-current background singers Two Tons o' Fun (

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

and

Izora Armstead Izora Margaret Rhodes-Armstead (July 6, 1942 – September 16, 2004) was an American singer-songwriter. Known for her distinctive alto voice, Armstead first achieved fame as one half of the successful act Two Tons O' Fun who sang backup vocals ...

). In March 1979, she debuted as his background vocalist on Sylvester's live album ''Living Proof'' which was performed at the

War Memorial Opera House The War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall. It is part of the San Francisco War Memorial and ...

. In the same year, Tracy contributed her vocals to the soundtrack of

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

's film, ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella ''Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph Conr ...

''. In 1980, Tracy sang background vocals on Two Tons o Fun first-two albums ''Two Tons of Fun'' and ''Backatcha''. In 1981, Sylvester released his fifth and final album ''Too Hot to Step''. The album featured two duet songs from Sylvester and Tracy called "Here Is My Love" and "Give It Up", both of which peaked at number 20 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s Disco chart. In the same year, she appeared as a featured vocalist on the song "You're Gonna Lose Me" for jazz musician

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

's album ''

Splash Splash or Splash! or The Splash may refer to: Common meanings * Splash (fluid mechanics), sudden disturbances on the surface of water Entertainment * ''Splash'' (film), a 1984 fantasy film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah ** ''Splash, Too'' ...

''.

1982–1988: ''Me and You''

In 1982, Tracy released her debut album '' Me and You'' on

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

. The album's lead single was "

Your Old Standby "Your Old Standby" is a song written by Motown songwriters Smokey Robinson and Janie Bradford and released as a single by Motown star Mary Wells in 1963. The record marked her third top forty pop single to come out in 1963. Song information In t ...

", a cover of

Mary Wells Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with The Supremes, The Miracles, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the F ...

's 1963 hit. The second single "I'm Your Jeanie" would inspire Sylvester's song "

Do You Wanna Funk "Do Ya Wanna Funk" is a 1982 dance song recorded by American recording artists Sylvester and Patrick Cowley. It was produced by Cowley, who incidentally died the same year. The song was mostly successful in Europe, especially in Belgium, Finlan ...

".Jeanie Tracy Biography
. Bredband. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 The third single was the album's titled-track "Me and You". In the same year, she released two singles "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" and "Hot(For Your Love)". In 1984, she secured a record contract with

Megatone Records Megatone Records was an independent music label specializing in disco and created in San Francisco in 1981 by Patrick Cowley and Marty Blecman. The label name was derived from Cowley's 1981 high energy disco song, "Megatron Man". In 1983, musici ...

and released two singles "Sing Your Own Song" and "Time Bomb", which peaked at number thirty-three on ''

s Dance chart.Jeanie Tracy Billboard Chart History
Billboard. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show

where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1985, she released her version of "

Don't Leave Me This Way "Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia Internat ...

", which peaked at number twenty-two on the Dance chart. In the same year, Tracy became friends with Narada Michael Walden, whom she sang backgrounds vocals on his album ''The Nature of Things''. In 1987, Tracy took a brief hiatus from the mainstream spotlight to take care of friend Sylvester, who had now been diagnosed with AIDS. In 1988, she appeared alongside Sylvester in the Castro's 1988 Gay Freedom Parade. Following Sylvester's death, Tracy sang Sylvester's favorite song "Never Grow Old" during his funeral at Love Center Church in

East Oakland East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest portio ...

. In the same year, Tracy released a single "Let's Dance".

1989–1998: Transition to house music and ''It's My Time''

In 1990, Tracy made a transition in

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

and

techno music Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

. Between 1990 and 1991, she released two singles under the alias Technodiva called: "I Found Love" and "Picture This". She released two additional singles, "Funkin' With Yo Emotion" and "Party Up (Feel The Funky Beat)", before retiring her Technodiva moniker. In 1994, Tracy signed to UK record label Pulse-8 Records. In August 1994, she released "If This Is Love" as the lead single from forthcoming album. She follow-up with the release of another single "Do You Believe In The Wonder" in November 1994. In March 1995, she released "It's My Time". In June 1995, Tracy released her second album '' It's My Time''. The album's fourth single "

It's A Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R&B ...

", a cover version of the

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

hit, featured a collaboration with singer

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

. The single peaked at number seventy-three 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 ...

.Jeanie Tracy UK Chart history
Official Charts. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 "Crying In My Sleep" was released as the album's final single in 1995. In 1997, she released a single called "Happiness". In 1998, no longer signed with Pulse-8, she re-united with the "It's My Time" album's team of producers, the Band of Gypsies, for a single entitled "Answer My Prayer". In the same year, Tracy began a regular cast member and voiced the character Bantu in the children series '' Adventures with Kanga Roddy''.

1999–2016: Rosabel and Altar

In 1999, Tracy released a single "

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a we ...

", remixed by

Rosabel Rosabel is an American house music duo consisting of DJ/producers Ralphi Rosario from Chicago, Illinois and Abel Aguilera from Miami, Florida. Already successful club/dance artists individually, the duo has hit number one on the Hot Dance ...

and released on AM Records. The single peaked at number twenty on ''Billboard''s Dance chart. In March 2000, Tracy released another single produced by Rosabel called "Keep The Party Jumpin" on AM Records. The single charted at number five on ''Billboard''s Dance chart. In another collaboration with

duo

, Tracy released a single "The Power" in 2001. The single peaked at number one on ''Billboard''s Dance chart, spending one week at number one. In June 2004, they released another single "Cha Cha Heels", which also peaked at number one on ''Billboards Dance chart. In March 2006, Tracy released a single titled "Party People", a collaboration with house music duo

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

on MamaHouse Records. The single became Tracy's third number-one song on ''Billboard''s Dance chart. In 2007, Tracy and American singer Vicki Shepard released a single "I Got a Feeling 2007", a re-recorded version of her earlier single. The single peaked at number fifteen on ''Billboard''s Dance chart. In the same year, she appeared in the BBC television documentary "The Queens of Disco". In February 2008, she released another collaborative single with Altar called "Everybody Up". The song peaked at number seven on ''Billboards Dance chart. In November 2008, Tracy performed at Winds of Change event during Pride Festival in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. In May 2009, she performed at the Let the Sunshine in benefit concert. In 2010, she appeared on TV One's '' Unsung'' program about Sylvester. In February 2010, Tracy replaced

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 su ...

and portrayed gospel singer

in the theatre play ''Mahalia: A Gospel Singer''. Tracy also appeared in the Unsung television documentary about her friend

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

in 2012. In the same year, she appeared in the BBC television documentary "The Joy of Disco". On April 20, 2015, Tracy released an extended play ''Making New Friends''. The extended play consisted of four past singles: "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight", "Hot (For Your Love)", "Making New Friends", and "Trippin' on the Sounds".

2017–present: Recent projects

In May 2018, she released a single "Is This My Last Stop for Love".

Legacy

In 2012, Tracy was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.Vallejo musicians inducted into West Coast Blues Hall of Fame
Times Herald. April 4, 2019 In the same year, she was also inducted into the Just Circuit Award Hall of Fame Artist Award.

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". With ...

and

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

, both of whom have recorded with Tracy, have considered Tracy to be "One of the Top Ten Voices in the World". As of 2016, Tracy has collectively accumulated a total of four number-one dance singles.

Personal life

She is married to her husband William Smith.Jeanie Tracy gets into the spirit of gospel
SF Gate. Retrieved on April 3, 2019 As a devout Christian, she regularly attends Acts Full Gospel Church in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. She is also fluent in the French language.

Discography

Albums

* '' Me and You'' (1982) * '' It's My Time'' (1995)

Singles

;As a main performer ;As a featured performer

References

External links

* * * *
Jeanie Tracy Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, Jeanie 1960 births Living people 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Activists from California Actresses from Fresno, California African-American actresses African-American businesspeople 20th-century African-American women singers African-American record producers African-American women writers African-American writers American business executives American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American disco musicians American women pop singers American house musicians American Hi-NRG musicians American music publishers (people) American music video directors American philanthropists American retail chief executives American women singer-songwriters American sopranos American soul singers American women philanthropists American women writers Businesspeople from San Francisco Columbia Records artists LGBT rights activists from the United States Musicians from Fresno, California Singer-songwriters from California American women in electronic music African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American women singers