Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1940 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer-songwriter. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice," she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul stylists of the rock era. According to one critic, "her deep, strident, almost masculine voice, staggered delivery and the occasional sob created a compelling musical presence."Bob Dickinson, ''Timi Yuro: Feisty white singer with a black soul voice'', The Guardian, 10 April 2004
Retrieved February 4, 2013 Yuro possessed a

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

vocal range.

Early years

Rosemary Yuro was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1940, into an Italian-American family whose original name may have been Aurro. By the time of her birth, however, the family used the spelling Yuro. In 1952, young Rosemary moved with her family to Los Angeles,Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com
Retrieved February 4, 2013 where she sang in her parents' Italian restaurant and, despite their opposition, in local

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s before catching the eye and ear of talent scout Sonny Knight. Signed to

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

in 1959, she had a U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' No. 4 single in 1961 with " Hurt", an R&B ballad that had been an early success for

Roy Hamilton Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought soul to Great American Songbook singing. Hamilton's greatest commercial success ca ...

. Yuro's recording was produced by

Clyde Otis Clyde Lovern Otis (September 11, 1924 – January 8, 2008), was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African-American A&R executives at a major label ...

, who had previously worked with

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better known as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960 ...

and

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

. Later that year she recorded as a duo with

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

. She charted some further minor hits including "

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

" (No. 42), opened for

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

on his 1962 tour of Australia, and received a 1962 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of 1961 (losing to

Peter Nero Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow, May 22, 1934) is an American pianist and pops conductor. He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and has earned two Grammy Awards. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Bernard Nierow, he started ...

). In 1962,

Bob Johnston Donald William 'Bob' Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel. Early days Johnston was born into a professional mus ...

and Otis produced Yuro's single "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You?)", which went to No. 12 on the ''

'' pop chart. On both "Hurt" and "What's a Matter Baby", Yuro showed an emotional but elegant vocal style that owed a debt to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and other black jazz singers. Many listeners in the early 1960s thought Yuro was black. Her single "The Love of a Boy" reached No. 44 in 1962. It was arranged and co-written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

, but Yuro refused to record his suggested follow-up, "

What the World Needs Now Is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a relea ...

". In the following year, Liberty released ''Make the World Go Away'', an album of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

standards. The singer at her vocal peak, this recording includes the hit

title song A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

(later a bigger hit for

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

, with whom the song is usually associated), a version of

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

's "Permanently Lonely", and two different blues takes of " I'm Movin' On". Yuro was also known for soulful reworkings of popular American standards, such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", "

", and "I Apologize". She toured Europe in 1963, and appeared on the British TV show ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light enter ...

''. However, in the U.S. her image became established as a cabaret performer, rather than as a soul singer. By 1964, Yuro had moved to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, but her first record for the label, "You Can Have Him", arranged by

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

, only just scraped into the chart and was her last hit. Nevertheless, her album ''The Amazing Timi Yuro'', produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, was an artistic success. Subsequent records were unsuccessful, although a

B-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 compan ...

, "Can't Stop Running Away", was later popular on the UK's Northern soul circuit. In the 1960s, Yuro made two TV appearances on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' and was a guest on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'', ''

Where the Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...

'', and ''

The Lloyd Thaxton Show Lloyd Thaxton (May 31, 1927 – October 5, 2008) was an American writer, television producer, director, and television host widely known for his syndicated pop music television program of the 1960s, ''The Lloyd Thaxton Show'', which began as a lo ...

''. In 1967, she appeared in a black-and-white film in the Philippines as a guest star alongside Filipino comedians

Dolphy Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (; July 25, 1928 – July 10, 2012), better known by his stage names Dolphy, Pidol, and Golay, was a Filipino comedian and actor. He is widely regarded as the country's "King of Comedy" for his comedic talent embodied ...

and Panchito in a comedy titled ''Buhay Marino'' ("''Life of a Sailor''"), a film released by Wag-Wag Productions, Inc. Prior to that, Yuro also appeared as a guest on the ''

Student Canteen ''Student Canteen'' is a Philippine television variety show regarded as the first afternoon variety show on Philippine television. Over a 32-year period, it was broadcast through three different networks: ABS-CBN (1958 to 1965), GMA Network (1 ...

'' TV program hosted by

Leila Benitez Leila Benitez-McCollum (October 5, 1930 – April 9, 2020) was a Filipino-born American radio and television host, presenter, journalist and broadcaster. Benitez, who was nicknamed as the "first lady of Philippine television", became a household ...

of CBN (now

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

) in Aduana, Manila, and afterwards, did a singing concert at the

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Dom ...

(now Smart Araneta Coliseum). At that time, the singer was very popular in the Philippines. She re-signed for

in 1968, and recorded in London. By the late 1960s, Yuro had performed in venues from London to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. She appeared at the Kray twins' clubs in London as she was a favorite of Reggie Kray. Leonie Cooper, "'Legend' Director On The Krays' Taste In Music, Casting Duffy And Tom Hardy's Sinatra Secret", ''NME'', 9 September 2015
Retrieved February 17, 2016 In 1965 and 1968, she sang at the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

, Italy's most popular music contest. However, her career lost its early momentum and she quit the music business altogether after her marriage in 1969.

Later career

In 1981, Yuro attempted a comeback in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, performing as a guest of honor on Dutch national television. She re-recorded a version of "Hurt" that reached No. 5 on the Dutch pop charts. She also signed to the Dutch record label

Dureco Dureco is a Dutch independent record label based in the Netherlands. Over the years many artists and groups such as the Amboina Serenaders, Judy Cheeks, Jules de Corte, De Dijk, Jef Elbers, Gotcha!, Samantha Jones, Ming Luhulima, the Mena Moe ...

to record a new album, ''All Alone Am I''; it went to No. 1 on the Dutch album charts and was eventually certified as a gold record. With these successes, Yuro moved to the Netherlands and continued with a string of hit singles and albums. After her record sales began to decline there in the mid-1980s, Yuro returned to the United States. Her last recording was the vinyl album ''Today'', which was released in 1982 by

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

and produced by her old friend and collaborator

. In 1990, the disc was reissued as a CD, remastered and remixed by Yuro herself on her own label Timi and titled ''Timi Yuro Sings Willie Nelson''.

Illness and death

She was diagnosed with throat cancer in the 1990s, and died at the age of 63 in 2004 in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Influence

Yuro's work is admired in the United States as well as the United Kingdom and the

. According to the obituary in the ''Las Vegas Sun'', her hometown paper, Yuro's most famous fan was probably

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, who commanded his own table at the casino where Yuro headlined in the late 1960s. (Presley had a top 10 country hit and top 30 pop hit with his 1976 version of "Hurt".) In April 2004,

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

announced Yuro's death on his official website, describing her as his "favorite singer". (Morrissey also recorded a version of Yuro's "

Interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

" with

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

in 1994.)

P. J. Proby P. J. Proby (born James Marcus Smith; November 6, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Proby recorded the singles " Hold Me", " Somewhere", and "Maria". In 2008, EMI released the greatest hits album '' Best of the EMI Years 1961 ...

knew Yuro from their time in Hollywood, and often mentions it during his performances of "Hurt".

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980 ...

recorded a version of Yuro's classic "What's a Matter Baby" on her 1988 album ''

Bookbinder's Kid ''Bookbinder's Kid'' is a 1988 album by Elkie Brooks, the follow-up to her top five album '' No More the Fool''. Overview After the success of the '' No More the Fool'' album, Brooks' new record company was keen to release a follow-up and trac ...

''. Yuro was so impressed with the version, she contacted Brooks while she was on a UK tour, and the two kept in contact. Yuro found success on the dance floors of

northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

in the 1970s and 1980s when Northern soul DJs championed her up-tempo tracks of "It'll Never Be Over for Me" and "What's a Matter Baby". The former has remained an important Northern soul track; the latter was covered by

The Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

as the B-side of their debut single in 1965 and re-released on

Kent Records Kent Records was a Los Angeles-based record label, launched in 1958 by the Bihari brothers. It was subsidiary of Crown Records Corporation. Kent was a follow-up to Modern Records which ceased operations in 1958. The label reissued Modern's singles, ...

in the 1980s. Yuro's 1962 recording of "Satan Never Sleeps" is the theme song that plays over the opening credits of the 1962 film of the same name. It also plays over the closing credits of

Penny Lane "Penny Lane" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Strawberry Fields Forever". It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songw ...

's 2019 documentary film '' Hail Satan?''.

Discography

Albums

*''Hurt!'' (Liberty Records 7208, 1961) *''Soul'' (Liberty Records 7212, 1962) *''Let Me Call You Sweetheart'' (Liberty Records 7234, 1962) *''What's a Matter Baby'' (Liberty Records 7263, 1963) *''The Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records 7286, 1963) *''Make the World Go Away'' (Liberty Records 7319, 1963) *''The Amazing Timi Yuro'' (Mercury Records 60963, 1964) *''Timi Yuro'' (Sunset Records 5107, 1966) *''Something Bad on My Mind'' (Liberty Records 7594, 1968) *''Live at PJ's'' (Liberty Records, 1969) *''The Very Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records LBR 1034) 1980 *''All Alone Am I'' (Dureco Benelux 77.011, 1981) *''I'm Yours'' (Arcade, 1982) *''Today'' (Ariola, 1982)

CD collections

*''Hurt! The Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records, 1963 /EMI Records, 1992) *''Timi Yuro – 18 Heartbreaking Songs'' (Intermusic, 1993 – RMB 75061) *''Timi Yuro: The Lost Voice of Soul'' (RPM Records, 1993 – RPM-117) *''Timi Yuro: The Voice That Got Away'' (RPM Records, 1996 – RPM-167) *''The Amazing Timi Yuro: The Mercury Years'' (Spectrum Music – Universal International (UK), 2005 – 982-596-5) *''Timi Yuro: The Complete Liberty Singles'' (Real Gone Music, 2012 – RGM-0066) *''Timi Yuro: I'm a Star Now Rarities 1956–1982'' (RPM RECORDS, 2014 – RPM-955) *''Timi Yuro: Hurt!/Live at PJs'' (Liberty Bell, 1986 – LST-7208, Italy, 2 lps on 1 cd) *''Timi Yuro: Something Bad on My Mind/The Unreleased Liberty Collection''(Morello Records, 2015 – MRLLX-50)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuro, Timi 1940 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American contraltos American people of Italian descent Deaths from cancer in Nevada Deaths from esophageal cancer Dureco artists Liberty Records artists Mercury Records artists Northern soul musicians Singers from Chicago 21st-century American women