Jevetta Steele (born November 11, 1963) is an American R&B and gospel music singer.

Early years

Born and raised in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

, Steele eventually migrated to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

to become a criminal lawyer. Steele later embarked upon a solo career within music and the stage. She also went on to be a member of gospel group The Steeles along with her sister Jearlyn and three brothers.

Musical career

In 1983, Steele landed the lead role of

Ismene In Greek mythology, Ismene (; grc, Ἰσμήνη, ''Ismēnē'') is the daughter and half-sister of Oedipus, daughter and granddaughter of Jocasta, and sister of Antigone, Eteocles, and Polynices. She appears in several plays of Sophocles: at ...

in the touring show, ''

The Gospel at Colonus ''The Gospel at Colonus'' is an African-American musical version of Sophocles's tragedy, ''Oedipus at Colonus. '' The show was created in 1983 by the experimental-theatre director Lee Breuer, one of the founders of the seminal American avant-garde ...

''. She went on to appear in productions of '' Smokey Joe's Cafe'', ''

Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope ''Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope'' is a musical revue first staged in 1971 with music, lyrics and book by Micki Grant. It was originally produced by Edward Padula. Background and productions The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the Afric ...

'', '' Ain't Misbehavin''', ''Crowns'', and ''Double Infidelities''. She later composed the musical ''Two Queens, One Castle'', which opened to critical acclaim. Bob Telson, the composer of ''The Gospel at Colonus'', used Jevetta Steele as a singer for different soundtracks he worked on. A collaboration with Telson has become her most well-known lead vocal performance, on the 1988 Telson-penned song " Calling You" from the movie soundtrack of '' Bagdad Café''. The song was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. The song was released as Steele's debut single and became a big airplay hit around Europe, as well as achieving top 10 positions in Sweden and in France, where she was especially successful. The success in France led to a recording contract there and in 1989 she released a follow-up single, again produced by Telson, titled "I Will Remember", which failed to chart. Starting in 1988, Steele, on her own or with her singing family group The Steeles, became a very much in-demand

session singer Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

. It was through those sessions that she met

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

and his associates, and worked closely with him providing vocals on his records and the artists he produced from the period 1989–1995. At the same time as these sessions, Steele worked on her debut album, ''Here It Is''. Primarily recorded at

Paisley Park Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. ...

and produced by

Tommy LiPuma Tommy LiPuma (July 5, 1936 – March 13, 2017) was an American music producer. He received 33 Grammy nominations, 5 Grammy wins, and his productions sold over 75 million albums. LiPuma worked with many musicians, including Barbra Streisand, Miles ...

, Ricky Peterson and Maurice White, the album was first issued only in France during 1991 and was later reissued in 1993. Steele's debut album reached No. 15 on the

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as '' NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a ...

UK Hiplist chart. The LP also included her hit " Calling You", and featured a cover of Dionne Warwick's " Say A Little Prayer For You". That same year, Steele's group The Steeles released their debut album ''Heaven Help Us All''. Steele can also be heard on the soundtrack of the 1994 film '' Corrina, Corrina'' singing " Over the Rainbow". She has recorded and toured with

, George Clinton,

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four album ...

, and Mavis Staples. She appeared on the album '' Memorial Beach'', recorded by the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

group a-ha, performing backing vocals on the songs "Lie Down in Darkness" and "Move to Memphis". Her most recent album is a 2006 collection of original and classic jazz selections called ''My Heart''.

Personal life

Steele is married, and has three children.

Discography

Albums

*1988: ''Jevetta Steele'' *1993: ''Here It Is'' *2006: ''My Heart''

Singles

* 1988: " Calling You" * 1989: "I Will Remember" * 1991: " Say A Little Prayer For You" * 1993: "Hold Me * 1999: "Calling You" (remix) (with

Christian Falk Christian Falk (25 April 1962 – 24 July 2014) was a Swedish record producer and musician. Falk started his recording career with the band Madhouse in the early 1980s. He later moved on and became a founding member of post-punk band Imperiet. ...

)

References

External links

*
Two Queens One Castle Review
(''Theater News'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Jevetta American gospel singers Musicians from Gary, Indiana Living people 1963 births 21st-century African-American women singers 20th-century African-American women singers