Kendra Spotswood is an American
soul singer
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
and is considered to be one of the most underrated singers of the
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
era.
She is known best for her collaboration with
Van McCoy, her membership of
The Shirelles and her song "You're Gonna Make Me Love You" a favorite on the UK
Northern soul scene, which she recorded under the name Sandi Sheldon.
Career
Aged 18 in 1963, she made her professional debut singing backup with the Four Buddies' fronted by Van McCoy on their song "Lonely Summer". Recording on the
Philips label as Kenni Woods her solo debut, "Can't He Take a Hint," followed in the same year. Her next single was "Back with My Baby"; her backing singers were
Dee Dee Warwick
Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, and a f ...
,
Cissy Houston
Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...
and
Doris Troy.
Spotswood performed with The Shirelles, touring with the group from 1964-1966 but did not record with them as she was still under contract with Philips.
During that time, she and McCoy, her boyfriend at the time, collaborated and co-wrote several singles using a number of aliases, including the Pacettes' "You Don't Know Baby," Jack & Jill's "Two of a Kind," and the Fantastic Vantastics' "Gee What a Boy".
In 1965, her "Stickin' With My Baby," the only record using her birth name.
She also sang backing vocals with Van McCoy on the
Barbara Lewis song
Baby, I'm Yours.
Northern soul
Spotswood used the alias Sandi Sheldon for 1967's "You're Gonna Make Me Love You" on
Okeh; the single making little impact on release. After the same fate met 1968's "Touch My Heart," credited to the Vonettes and released on the
Cobblestone label, she relocated to Atlanta and retired from the music business.
[
"You're Gonna Make Me Love You" was rediscovered in the 1970s; one theory is that it was among a number of singles sold by BBC Radio One DJ ]John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
to record dealer Graham Stapleton, who in turn sold it to "Froggy" Taylor, then the DJ at the influential Northern soul nightspot The Twisted Wheel. An alternative view according to Northern soul DJ Ian Levine is that it was bought by fellow Northern soul DJ Rob Bellars while working in California and brought back to the UK where it became the epitome of a rare, fast Northern soul classic.[ Spotswood's whereabouts and real name remained unknown for decades until she finally learned of her latter-day fame on the Northern soul circuit and began appearing again to live audiences.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spotswood, Kendra
American women singers
Singers from New Jersey
Musicians from Englewood, New Jersey
African-American women singers
Northern soul musicians