Lorraine Silver (born 15 October 1951 in London) is an English singer, known for her single "Lost Summer Love" (1965), which came to be regarded as a classic of
Northern soul.
Career
Silver's singing career began in 1965, when she was thirteen and recorded an a cappella version of
Brian Hyland's "
Sealed With A Kiss" at a DIY singing booth in
Woolworths
Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to:
Businesses
* F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores
* Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
in
Oxford Street,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
The song attracted the attention of
Pye Records, who signed her for a two-record deal. For her first single Silver released "Lost Summer Love", a song previously sung by
Shelley Fabares
Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom ...
. The single was produced by Tony Reeves and arranged by
Johnny Harris and featured
Klaus Voormann on bass guitar.
Another Shelley Fabares cover, "I Know You'll Be There", was recorded for the B-side. Her second single was an original song, "The Happy Faces", with a cover version of
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
' "When the Love Light Starts Shining Thru His Eyes" on the B-side. Neither single sold well and Silver's contract was not renewed.
Although the original recordings did not chart, Silver's version of "Lost Summer Love" went on to become popular within the
Northern soul movement at the
Wigan Casino in the 1970s.
The single was reissued on the Casino Classics label, selling in excess of 30,000 copies.
Silver, however, remained largely unaware of the song's popularity and her fame within the Northern soul scene until 1988.
All four original recordings have been released on numerous Northern soul compilation CDs, and she also was featured in the best-selling biography of
Dusty Springfield written by
Lucy O'Brien entitled ''Dusty''.
[O'Brien, Lucy (1989) ''Dusty'', p. 48, Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd., ] Silver is still working extensively in theatres and venues throughout the UK and Europe, as special guest with the UK's No 1 Northern soul act, The Signatures featuring Stefan Taylor.
In January 2018, Silver released her first single since her days on Pye, "Standing at the Intersection" / "The Best Time of My Life", produced by
Ian Levine on Rochester Hills Records. In 2021, she went into the studios again with Ian Levine and recorded her follow up, "Fever Raging Out of Control" / "The Last to Know" and likewise her latest single in 2022 "Sunny Day" / "Two Way Street".
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver, Lorraine
1951 births
Living people
English women singers
English soul singers