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Lourett Russell Grant,
DHS The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...
() is an American singer, model, and dancer. She co-wrote and performed the
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
hit ''Hot to Trot'' and was a fixture in the dance music scene throughout the 1980s.


Career

Grant's career as a singer solidified once she met Silvio Tancredi in New York City in 1978. The son of the
consular agent A consul is an official representative of the government of one Sovereign state, state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship be ...
at the Italian consulate in New York City, Tancredi was a musician-turned-record producer who had been contracted to
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
by
Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...
, the company's co-founder. Tancredi had produced ''
Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
'' by
Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...
and ''Stairway to Love'' by the disco group Wonder Band. Tancredi championed Grant's music career, wanting to make her the "Dance Music Star for the 80s." Together, they wrote and produced Grant's hit electro-rock-disco
twelve-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
, ''Hot to Trot'', co-written by Jeffrey (Jeff) Schoen. Grant resided for several years at the exclusive, all female Barbizon Hotel in New York while Tancredi judiciously advanced her stardom. Grant and Tancredi co-founded Northcott Productions Ltd. and the custom record label Alverez Records Ltd. to produce, manufacture, and distribute the recording. Later, the recording would be picked up by WEA International and Quality Records for international distribution. Grant's vocal performance was described as "impassioned," "hot," and "emotionally plaintive." The vocals were accompanied by " Italo bleeps and spare
rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
chords," driven by a digital
Synclavier The Synclavier is an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the early 1 ...
rhythm along with a pulsating bass guitar riff and an overlay of hard-hitting percussion that builds into a powerful crescendo. The mix on the
A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
enhanced the dance club experience, featuring the sound of gallops that panned across the dance floor. The mix on the B-side was distinctly different; it omitted the gallops and was intensified on the high and low ends to make for more memorable radio play. To underscore the image, Grant dressed in black leather jeans, a cowboy hat, and gun holsters when she performed to promote the recording. The recording was played in heavy rotation on the radio and in diverse dance clubs throughout the United States;
John "Jellybean" Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters ...
,
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
at
Xenon Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...
and other New York City clubs (and
remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
er of artists like
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
), was an early supporter. The record debuted at number 70 on ''Billboard's'' Top 100 Disco chart, placing higher than '' On the Radio'' by
Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
and ''
Rock with You "Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released on November 3, 1979, by Epic Records as ...
/
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written and recorded by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album '' Off the Wall'' (1979). It was th ...
'' by
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. The record remained on the chart for fifteen weeks. Major labels Quality Records and WEA International capitalized on the recording's domestic success by picking up the recording for distribution in the Canadian and European markets, respectively. In 2010, the recording was released on the second album of Horse Meat Disco, a London collective of four disc jockeys who curate disco compilations to continue to bring the genre to public attention. The recording is a collectors' item. After the success of her recording, Grant gained access to elite Italian social circles, aided by Tancredi's social connections; she was photographed by ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' photographer Marco Glaviano. Grant also modeled for photographer Michael Keller and modeled in rock videos such as Rick Derringer's ''Shake Me'', which was produced by Jake Hooker (who was married to
Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Cent ...
at the time). Grant remained a fixture in the dance club scene. Grant and Tancredi's Northcott company ran a handful of dance
labels A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
, managing its own publishing, production, manufacturing, and distribution. Club disc jockey Tommy Musto joined as head of production and A&R–"
Artists and Repertoire Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...
," responsible for talent scouting and artist development–and ushered the company into becoming an essential outlet for New York City
garage house Garage house (originally known as "garage"; local terms include "New York house" and New Jersey sound) is a dance music style that was developed alongside Chicago house music. The genre was popular in the 1980s in the United States and the 1990s ...
dance music. After her time with Tancredi, Grant continued working in the music business. She sang with the Long Island-based rock band Loose Endz, which also featured a female bass player and a female drummer; the group performed at such venues as
The Limelight The Limelight was the name of a chain of nightclubs owned and operated by Peter Gatien. It had locations in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, London and Hallandale. Context During the 1980s, club culture had died down because of the AIDS ...
in New York City. In 1990, Grant was signed by
Warren Schatz Warren Schatz, born in New York City, is a prominent producer, arranger and orchestra conductor during the 1970s. Warren Schatz is famous for composing, producing, arranging, and conducting the orchestra for such mid- to late-1970s disco recordin ...
, former senior executive with RCA and BMG's Ariola America. While signed with Schatz's Perfect Sound Studios, Inc., Grant wrote ''I Know (What You Need)''. As tastes in New York City's music scene drifted towards the
rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
and hip-hip genres, Grant shifted her focus. She earned a scholarship from the Goethe Institute in New York to study German in Germany in exchange for developing a promotional song for the institute. Grant later recorded the classic ''Ich bin von Kopf bis fuss'' and wrote and recorded an original German pop song, ''Lass mich oder lieb mich baby''. Later, she followed through on early training in dance and became a professional dancer.


Personal life

Grant is a member of the
Guild of One-Name Studies The Guild of One-Name Studies is a UK-based charitable organisation founded in 1979 for one-name studies. History The Guild developed as an offshoot of the Federation of Family History Societies. The FFHS was founded on 8 June 1974. By 1977 on ...
, a
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Grant researches and disseminates information about her family's surname Philippides' ancestral connections to the ancient statesman
Philippides of Paiania Philippides, son of Philomelos, of Paiania was an Athenian aristocratic oligarch. He is identified with the Philippides prosecuted by Hypereides in 336/5 B.C. who proposed honours for Macedonians after the Battle of Chaeronea, among them Alexan ...
. She is also an academic historical writer whose articles have been published. On June 4, 2022, Grant was appointed as a
Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
of the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic Church, Catholic order of ...
by Archbishop
Gregory Michael Aymond Gregory Michael Aymond (born November 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He became the fourteenth archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana on June 12, 2009. ...
at the Immaculate Conception Church in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
.


External links


Official website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Lourett Russell Living people Disco musicians American disco musicians American people of Greek descent American Roman Catholics American women record producers Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Record producers from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people)