Lorraine Crosby (born 27 November 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. She was the female vocalist on
Meat Loaf's 1993 hit single "
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)". Her debut album, ''
Mrs Loud'', was released in 2008.
Early life
Crosby was born in
Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father died in a
road accident when his car collided with a bus when she was two years old, leaving her mother to raise Lorraine, her two sisters and one brother. She attended Walker Comprehensive school.
Career
In the 1980s, Crosby formed a five-piece band called Foxy, featuring Cliff Dinning on guitar, Ken Gallon on bass, John Lewis on keyboards, and Jim Pearson on drums.
Inspired by
Tina Turner, Crosby searched the noticeboard for bands wanting singers at the guitar shop Rock City in Newcastle. After joining several bands she set up a five-piece
cabaret band which toured extensively, playing to British and American servicemen throughout the early 1980s.
Back in Newcastle, she met
Stuart Emerson, who was looking for a singer for his band. They began writing together, and also became a couple. In the early 1990s, Crosby sent songwriter and producer
Jim Steinman some demos of songs she had written with Emerson. Steinman asked to meet them so they decided to move to New York. They then followed Steinman after he moved to Los Angeles. Steinman became their manager and secured them a contract with Meat Loaf's recording label MCA. While visiting the label's recording studios on
Sunset Boulevard, Crosby was asked to provide
guide vocals
A scratch vocal is a vocal performance that a singer records to provide a reference track that music producers and audio engineers can use as they craft other pieces of the recorded song.
Most of the time, the singer ultimately re-records the vo ...
for Meat Loaf, who was recording the song "
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)".
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
,
Melissa Etheridge and
Bonnie Tyler were considered for the role. The song was a commercial success, becoming number one in 28 countries. However, as Crosby had recorded her part as guide vocals, she did not receive any payment for the recording but she receives royalties from
PRS, and so the credit "Mrs. Loud" was used on the album. Also, Crosby did not appear in the
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...
-directed music video, where model Dana Patrick mimed her vocals.
Meat Loaf promoted the single with American vocalist
Patti Russo performing the live female vocals of this song at his promotional appearances and concerts. Crosby also sang additional and backing vocals on the songs "
Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back
"Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" is a radio single by Meat Loaf released in October 1993. It was the second single from the album '' Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' and charted on the US ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks
Mainstream ...
", "
Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are", and "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" from the album ''
Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.'' On these three selections, she ''was'' credited under her real name rather than the alias of Mrs. Loud.
In 2005, Crosby recorded a duet with
Bonnie Tyler for her album ''
Wings''. The track, titled "I'll Stand by You", was written and produced by Stuart Emerson. It was reissued as a
charity single in May 2020 to raise funds for the
Teenage Cancer Trust. It reached no. 64 on the
UK Downloads Chart. Also in 2005, Crosby appeared in the
second series
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...
of ''
The X Factor'', where she performed "
You've Got a Friend". After passing the auditions, Crosby was eliminated during the bootcamp round.
Crosby returned to live performances in April 2007. In November 2007, she appeared on the
BBC Three television show ''Most Annoying Pop Songs We Hate to Love'' discussing the
Meat Loaf track "
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" which featured at No. 76.
In November 2008, Crosby appeared at
Newcastle City Hall with special guest
Bonnie Tyler to launch her self-produced album entitled ''
Mrs Loud''. The concert was later repeated in March 2011. In April 2009, she was also featured on ''
The Justin Lee Collins Show'' and performed a duet with Justin, singing the Meat Loaf song "
Dead Ringer for Love". She also performed "I'd Do Anything for Love" with
Tim Healy for ''
Sunday for Sammy
''Sunday for Sammy'' is a series of biennial charity concerts held in aid of the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, which benefits young performers. The fund was established in memorial to Sammy Johnson, an actor from North East England, who died sudd ...
'' in 2012.
Crosby performs in cabaret shows with her band along with her partner
Stuart Emerson.
Crosby appeared in the first round of BBC's
second series
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...
of ''The Voice'' on 6 April 2013. She failed to progress when she was rejected by all four coaches.
In 2017, Crosby recorded vocals for a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
track titled "Feel Alive", with DJs Christian B and Lavvy Lethan of Friday Fox Recordings.
In 2019, Crosby joined Steve Steinman Productions in the show ''Steve Steinman's Anything for Love'' which toured the UK during 2019 and 2020, performing hits such as "Good Girls Go to Heaven", "Holding Out for a Hero" and dueting with Steinman on "What About Love" and "I'd Do Anything for Love", amongst others.
In 2021, Crosby featured as a backing vocalist on "Paradigms" from
Sam Fender's album ''
Seventeen Going Under''.
Discography
Crosby has provided backing vocals on
Bonnie Tyler's albums ''
Free Spirit
Free Spirit or Free Spirits may refer to:
Media
* ''Free Spirit'' (TV series), a 1989–90 American fantasy sitcom
* ''Free Spirit'' (film), a 1951 Argentine drama film
* ”Free Spirit” (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 episode in the 1995 ser ...
'' (1995) and ''
Wings'' (2005).
Studio albums
* ''
Mrs Loud'' (2008)
Singles
* "
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (with
Meat Loaf) (1993)
* "Through Thick and Thin (I'll Stand by You)" (with Bonnie Tyler) (2020)
Other recordings
* "I'll Stand by You" (with
Bonnie Tyler) (2005)
* "Double Take" (with Frankie Miller) (2018)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosby, Lorraine
1960 births
Living people
People from Newcastle upon Tyne (district)
Musicians from Tyne and Wear
The Voice UK contestants
21st-century English women singers
21st-century English singers