Lisa Fischer (born December 1, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She found success with her 1991 debut album ''
So Intense'', which produced the
Grammy Award–winning hit single "
How Can I Ease the Pain
"How Can I Ease the Pain" is a song by American singer Lisa Fischer, from her album ''So Intense''. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden with associate producer Louis Biancaniello. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the U.S. ''Billbo ...
". She has been a back-up singer for a number of famous artists, including
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
,
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...
, and
Tina Turner, and she toured with
The Rolling Stones from 1989 to 2015.
Early life
Fischer was born in the
Fort Greene neighborhood in the
New York City borough of
Brooklyn. Fischer's mother gave birth to her at age 16 and had a total of three children by the time she was 19. Fischer has fond memories of singing with her mother (a homemaker), her father (a warehouse worker and security officer), and her two younger brothers.
She attended
The High School of Music & Art in Manhattan. When Fischer was 14 her father left the family and when Fischer was 17, her mother died.
In an interview with Christian Wikane of ''
PopMatters'', Fischer stated she was influenced by
Freda Payne,
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
and
Melba Moore, and others early in her childhood.
In the years before launching her solo mainstream career, she noted significant influence from the
black LGBT community,
particularly in developing a stage image with adventure, quality, and beauty.
Career
1983–1989: ''Xēna'' and The Rolling Stones
In 1983, under the stage name "Xēna", Fischer released the b-boy classic "On the Upside". In 1984, a
club track she recorded titled "Only Love (Shadows)" was briefly featured in the motion picture ''
Beat Street'' and was later released in 1995 as part of the Hot Productions' ''The Best of Criminal Records'' compilation. However, Fischer began her music career supporting other artists providing backing vocals for artists including Melba Moore and
Billy Ocean. She worked with many other famous singers, both as a session vocalist and
sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...
. She accompanied
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...
whom she met through the mutual acquaintance of choreographer Bruce Wallace, who asked her to come to his agency for an audition. Fischer then traveled as a backup singer on his tours and sang on his albums until his death, in addition to other famous musicians, including
Chaka Khan
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...
,
Teddy Pendergrass, and
Roberta Flack.
Fischer maintained her career as a
session singer, and has accompanied The Rolling Stones on tour since 1989. She worked as a
backup vocalist
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...
during the same period for
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...
for the 22 years prior to his death alongside friend and collaborator
Ava Cherry
Ava Cherry is an American singer and model. She collaborated with English musician David Bowie between 1972 and 1975; the two met in New York City when she was a nightclub waitress and Bowie was touring for ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardus ...
,
juggling his concert tours and those of
The Rolling Stones, with whom she grew an audience playing the
foil to
Mick Jagger onstage. During tours with the Rolling Stones, she shares lead vocals on several songs, including "
Monkey Man
Monkey Man may refer to:
Fiction
* ''Monkey Man'' (film), a film starring and directed by Dev Patel
* Axwell Tiberius, the eponymous simian character in the 1993–1999 comic book series ''Monkeyman and O'Brien''
Songs
* "Monkey Man" (Rolling Sto ...
, and "
Gimme Shelter", which showcase her vocal talents.
1990–1994: ''So Intense''
Fischer's solo career peaked with the 1991 release of "
How Can I Ease the Pain
"How Can I Ease the Pain" is a song by American singer Lisa Fischer, from her album ''So Intense''. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden with associate producer Louis Biancaniello. The hit song spent two weeks at number-one on the U.S. ''Billbo ...
" from her album ''
So Intense'', reaching Number One on the R&B charts, and winning a
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1992.
The album spawned three Top 20 R&B hits, and peaked at #5 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #100 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart. Asked about the inspiration for her album, Fischer replied "I wasn't deep in search of a record deal, it was just one of those things...". In the movie ''
20 Feet From Stardom
''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the ...
'', Fischer's Grammy award for her hit single collects dust on a shelf. Fischer said she "just doesn't know what to do with it". Although Fischer earned success with her first album, a follow-up solo studio
album was not released because an attempt to create a second album failed due to "energy shifts".
Fischer recorded on various projects including providing
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
on the
power ballad "Colors of Love" featured on the
soundtrack for the film ''
Made in America''. Fischer says a contributing factor in her decision to discontinue her solo career following the release of her debut album was her fondness for
backing vocalist rather than a solo artist.
In a 2013 article, Fischer compared back-up singing to a "tuning fork", and noted she rejected the idea of dissatisfaction and the theory of always aspiring for something more while creating music and supporting other artists. In 1992, Fischer traveled to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to perform in the ''Earth Voice Concert'' with
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.
Biography
Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...
,
Phil Perry,
Bobby Caldwell,
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations.
Li ...
,
James Ingram,
Michael McDonald,
Anita Baker, and others. During the concert, Fischer sang her 1991 hit "How Can I Ease The Pain", and provided backing vocals for her fellow musicians.
1996: Theatre
In August 1996, Fischer made her theatre debut in the
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
play ''Born to Sing!'' chronicling the life and career of the fictional
gospel superstar, Doris Winter. The final installment of the ''
Mama, I Want to Sing!'' trilogy featured Fischer in the starring role of Doris Winter, and followed the character as she assembled a company of fellow singers for a global ''World Peace and Harmony Tour''.
1996–2013: Backup singing
Fischer continued to work on music, doing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, including Anane Vega. Fischer toured with
Tina Turner on her
Twenty Four Seven Tour. It was the worldwide top-grossing tour of 2000. Lisa was featured in an April 14, 2008 issue of ''
Jet Magazine''′s "Where Are They Now?" column. In 2009, Fischer completed touring with
Tina Turner on her
Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, and is featured on Turner's live DVD-CD titled ''
Tina Live''. In the performance of Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, Fischer and Turner sang "
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" together; after Turner left the stage, Fischer completed the song solo.
Fischer sang on
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
's album ''
If on a Winter's Night...'' as a backing vocalist. In September 2009, Sting and his band with Fischer performed in
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
. The rehearsals as well as the concert are available as a DVD. The behind-the-scenes documentary surrounding the event was produced jointly by the BBC, and was screened on December 29 that year. She appeared at the 2010
CareFusion
CareFusion was a medical company specializing in two areas: reducing medication errors and prevention of health care-associated infections.
Spinoff
CareFusion was created in 2009 as a spinoff of medical technology businesses from Cardinal Heal ...
Newport Jazz Festival in
Newport, Rhode Island with jazz trumpeter
Chris Botti. She toured with Botti through 2010, including appearing nightly as guest vocalist during the trumpeter's annual holiday engagement at the
Blue Note Jazz Club
Blue Note Jazz Club is a jazz club and restaurant located at 131 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the Nat Adderley Quintet being the featured ...
in New York city. She remained a guest artist with Botti's band in 2011, and continued to appear at their 2012 concerts.
In 2012, she joined the Rolling Stones for their ''
50 & Counting Tour
50 & Counting was a concert tour by The Rolling Stones to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band, which started in October 2012 (with two secret club gigs in Paris) and ended in July 2013 (with two major shows at Hyde Park).
History
2012 ...
'' in October 2012, and toured globally with the band until July 2013. The band announced a follow-up tour ''14 On Fire'' scheduled to start in February, including dates in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe in summer 2014, and Australia in fall 2014.
In 2013, Fischer joined the rock band
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
as a backing vocalist for their
Tension 2013
The Twenty Thirteen Tour was a concert tour by industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails to support the album ''Hesitation Marks''. It marked the return of the band for live performances after a four-year touring hiatus. It began on July 26, 2013 and ...
tour.
2013–2014: ''20 Feet from Stardom''
Fischer is one of the artists featured in the
Oscar-winning
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 in ...
documentary film ''
20 Feet from Stardom
''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the ...
'' (2013), which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
and was released on June 21, 2013. The documentary highlights back-up singers by archiving the oral histories of artists like
Merry Clayton and
Darlene Love and their experiences within the American music industry. The film earned the 2015
Grammy Award for Best Music Film, with the award presented to the featured artists as well as the production crew.
In 2014, Fischer re-united with many of the back-up singers in ''20 Feet From Stardom'' including
Darlene Love,
Merry Clayton, and
Judith Hill to sing the national anthem at the 100th
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
.
2014–present: Solo career
In 2014, Fischer began her solo tour accompanied by her band
Grand Baton, performing across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. That same year, a press release announced Fischer would collaborate with performer
Billy Childs on a studio project about
Laura Nyro. 2015, returning to her solo career, Fischer sold out six consecutive shows at The Jazz Standard in
New York City.
In 2015, she, along with her
musical director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...
, the composer, arranger, and pianist
JC Maillard, collaborated with choreographer
Alonzo King to create the music/dance ensemble piece entitled ''The Propelled Heart'' for the
Alonzo King LINES Ballet. ''The Propelled Heart'' premiered at the
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in
San Francisco on November 6, 2015. In September 2017, Fischer reprised her role in ''The Propelled Heart'' at the
Kwai Tsing Theatre in
Hong Kong. The program returned to the
SF Bay Area's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in November 2017 in honor of the 35th Anniversary of
LINES Ballet
The Alonzo King LINES Ballet (AKLB) is an American contemporary ballet company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ballet company, founded by choreographer Alonzo King, premiered at San Francisco State University's McKenna Theatre in 1982.
...
.
In addition to her collaboration with King, in 2016, Fischer provided vocal performances on three
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nominated projects including
Louie Vega Starring...XXVIII with
Louie Vega
Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and Grammy Award winner remixer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production team.
Biograph ...
and The Elements of Life; ''Sing Me Home'' with
Yo-Yo Ma,
The Silkroad Ensemble, and
Gregory Porter; as well as ''New York Rhapsody'' with
Lang Lang and
Jeffrey Wright. In February 2018, Fischer's vocal performances were featured in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
Film presentation ''Notes From The Field'' written and produced by
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Anna Deavere Smith.
Fischer and
Grand Baton partnered with
The Seattle Symphony for their program ''Just A Kiss Away'' in February 2018 in which
rock music anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
s such as
The Rolling Stones' "
Gimme Shelter" were re-created
orchestrally.
The orchestral arrangements were composed by
Chris Walden
Chris Walden (born October 10, 1966 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a German composer, arranger, and conductor living in the U.S. He leads the Chris Walden Big Band, and was nominated seven times for a Grammy Award.
He has written big band and or ...
.
Discography
;Albums
* ''
So Intense'' (1991)
Tours
Awards and nominations
Filmography
Theatre
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Lisa Fischer Grammy Awards History">Grammy Award">Lisa Fischer Grammy Award
s History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Lisa
1958 births
American freestyle musicians
American session musicians
Elektra Records artists
Grammy Award winners
Living people
Nine Inch Nails members
Singers with a four-octave vocal range
The High School of Music & Art alumni
American sopranos
African-American women singers
Musicians from Brooklyn
Singers from New York City
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
American contemporary R&B singers
American house musicians
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
American soul singers
People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn
American women in electronic music