Táta Vega (born Carmen Rosa Vega, October 7, 1951) is an American

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres.

Early life

Vega was born in Jamaica Queens, New York and raised between New York, Chicago, Texas, Panama and Puerto Rico. She is of Puerto Rican, Dominican, African, Spanish and Italian descent. Her parents are Luis Alfredo De La Vega, who served in the United States Air Force, and Rosaura Maltés. As a result of her father's work, the family moved frequently. Before she was even a teenager, the family lived in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. Her father nicknamed her Táta, because that was the first word she uttered as a child. At the age of 17, she had her name legally changed.

Career

Vega began her professional singing career in 1963. In California (1969–70) she was cast in the Los Angeles,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

production of the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

, ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

''. From there went on to join the group Pollution (managed by

Max Baer Jr. Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. (born December 4, 1937) is an American actor, producer, comedian, and director widely known for his role as Jethro Bodine, the dim-witted relative of Jed Clampett (played by Buddy Ebsen) on ''The Beverly Hillbillies ...

), led by

Dobie Gray Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Crowd" in 1965 and "Dr ...

(who also appeared in the Los Angeles cast of ''Hair''). While performing in another group with vocalists Brie Brandt and Laurie Ann Bell at the Troubadour, Berry Gordy was in the audience and signed them on the spot. As Earthquire, the group released a self-titled album produced by Tom Wilson in 1972 on Motown's Natural Resources label. After the album failed to make a commercial impact, Motown dropped the group, but retained her. After the demise of Earthquire, Vega continued to work steadily in Top 40 bands and occasionally with some former members of Pollution. After hearing her voice on a demo for Jobete, Motown's publishing wing, producer Winston Monseque and Motown executive

Iris Gordy Iris Gordy is an American songwriter, producer, and music executive. She is a former vice president at Motown, where she helped launch the careers of DeBarge, Teena Marie, and Rick James, Mandre, Bobby Nunn and Tata Vega. Her credits include ...

, were interested in managing her. Vega went on to release four solo albums on the Tamla record label: '' Full Speed Ahead'' (1976), '' Totally Táta'' (1977), '' Try My Love'' (1978), and ''Givin' All My Love'' (1981). She is probably best remembered in the UK for her 1979 release, "Get It Up for Love", from the album, '' Try My Love'' written by

Ned Doheny Patrick Anson Doheny "Ned" Doheny (born March 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California, who has recorded eight albums and has performed with other artists including Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagl ...

. This was released a year later than the LP on 12" format (Motown 12 TMG 1140) as well as 45 RPM. It proved to be popular in the discos in the late 1970s in the UK. She has had an active career as a lead backing vocalist, working with

Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempora ...

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Andraé Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...

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 ...

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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 ...

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and

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 ...

, singing duets with

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...

, Peter Rivera with Rare Earth and

Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song "M ...

. Vega is featured on the 2010

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and Leon Russell CD ''The Union''. She also worked in film, performing the voice of Shug Avery in ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

''; she is featured on four songs on the 1986

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, one of which, "

Miss Celie's Blues Miss Celie's Blues, also known as "Sister", is a song from the Steven Spielberg movie ''The Color Purple'' (1985), with music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton and lyrics by the two of them with Lionel Richie, performed by Táta Vega. The song was ...

(Sister)", was nominated for an

Academy Award 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 ind ...

in the Best Song category. In 1985, Vega was nominated for Best Soul female Gospel Performance at the 27th annual

Grammy Awards 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 pres ...

For her vocals on "Oh, It is Jesus", written by

Andrae Crouch Andrae, Andræ (Danish) or Andrä is a surname and given name, which is a variant of Andreae, itself a patronymic (via the Latin genitive case) from the personal name Andreas. Notable persons with this name include: Surname * Ahmed-Tobias Andr� ...

. In 1994, she recorded two Spanish versions of the song "

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocals ...

" from Disney's ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'', one for Latin America ("Ciclo Sin Fin") and the other one for Spain ("El ciclo de la vida"). In 1998, she signed with

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 ...

Qwest Records Qwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned by Warner Music Group, although Jones was still under contract with A&M Records through 1981. George Benson's 198 ...

and released a gospel album, ''Now I See'', which was nominated for a Stellar award. In 2006, Vega signed with Do Rite Records, releasing a gospel album entitled ''This Joy'' on October 27, 2009. In 2010 Tata joined Elton John's band as a full-time backing vocalist along with Rose Stone, Lisa Stone and Jean Johnson (singer) Witherspoon. In 2011, her first two solo albums, ''Full Speed Ahead'' and ''Totally Táta'' (1977), were reissued on CD by soulmusic.com records. On January 18, 2013, Vega, alongside

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song " Gimme S ...

, Lisa Fischer and

Judith Hill Judith Glory Hill is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has provided backing vocals for such artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Josh Groban. In 2009, Hill was chosen as Jackson's duet partner for the song " I Just ...

, premiered '' 20 Feet from Stardom'', a documentary about background singers, at

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...

's annual

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 ...

. On February 18, 2014, in the wake of '' 20 Feet from Stardoms success, her solo albums at Motown were released digitally.

Personal life

Vega has two daughters, Angelica and Chloe (b. 1990)

Discography

As group member

*1971: Pollution; ''Pollution'' (Prophesy Records) *1972: Pollution; ''Pollution II'' (Prophesy) *1972: Earthquire; ''Earthquire'' (Natural Resources/Motown)

Solo albums

*1976: *1977: *1978: *1980: ''Givin' All My Love'' (Tamla Motown) *1988: ''Time's So Right'' *1998: *2009: ''This Joy'' (Do Rite Records)

Appearances on other albums

*1972: '' The Hot Rock OST'',

*1979: ''

Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

'',

*1979: '' Pops, We Love You'', Various artists; guest vocalist *1985: ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'' (movie soundtrack) *1985: ''Mathematics'',

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

; background vocals *1985: ''Medals'',

; background vocals *1985: ''No Time to Lose'',

; "Right Now", "Oh, It Is Jesus" *1986: ''Frontline'',

Koinonia () is a transliterated form of the Koine Greek, Greek word , which refers to concepts such as fellowship, joint participation, the share which one has in anything, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution. It identifies the ideal ...

*1986: ''Someone'',

El DeBarge Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include " Time Will Reveal", " Who's Hold ...

*1986: ''Without Walls'',

*1986: ''Howard the Duck (soundtrack)'',

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

; "I'm On My Way" *1988: ''Back to Avalon'',

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

*1988: ''Non Stop'',

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

; background vocals *1988: ''The Real Me'',

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

; background vocals *1990: ''Love Is the Reason'', Engelbert Humperdinck *1991: ''Give in to the Rhythm'', Arthur Baker; "Let There Be Love", "Inspiration" *1991: ''The Comfort Zone'',

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

; background vocals *1991: ''Turn It Up'', Oaktown's 357; guest vocalist *1992: ''Live!'',

; background vocals *1993: ''My World'',

; background vocals *1994: ''The Gate To The Mind's Eye (soundtrack)'',

; "Armageddon" *1994: ''A To a Higher Place'',

Tramaine Hawkins Tramaine Aunzola Richardson , (nee’ Davis) known professionally as Tramaine Hawkins (born October 11, 1951), is an American award–winning Gospel singer whose career spans over five decades. Since beginning her career in 1966, Hawkins has won ...

; background vocals *1994: ''El Rey Leon usica Original de la Pelicula',

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

; "Ciclo Sin Fin" *1994: ''Is There Anybody Out There?'',

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; background vocals *1994: ''Mercy'', Andraé Crouch; background vocals *1994: ''Reach'', Patti Austin; background vocals *1995: ''Sisters: The Story Goes On'', various artists; "You Don't Have to Know Why" *1995: ''Am I Still in Your Heart'',

Chuck Negron Charles Negron II (born June 8, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the rock band Three Dog Night, which he helped form in 1968. Early life Chuck Negron was born on June 8, 1942, in M ...

; background vocals *1995: ''Gary Oliver'' Gary Oliver; background vocals *1986: ''

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

'' otion Picture Soundtrack "Love Lives Alone" *1997: ''Pray'', Andraé Crouch *1998: ''The Gift of Christmas'', Andraé Crouch *1999: ''Tropico/Seven the Hard Way'',

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

*2001: ''If We Pray''

Anointed Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or oth ...

; background vocals *2001: ''Joy to the World'', Chuck Negron *2001 : ''

Songs from the West Coast ''Songs from the West Coast'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by English musician Elton John, released worldwide on 1 October 2001. Background For this album, John once again collaborated with long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin, marking the fir ...

'',

; background vocals *2002: ''Life and Love'',

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...

; background vocals *2002: ''Night of Your Return'',

Fernando Ortega Juan Fernando Ortega Work ID No. 332498534 (born March 2, 1957) is a singer-songwriter in contemporary Christian music. He is noted both for his interpretations of many traditional hymns and songs, such as " Give Me Jesus", "Be Thou My Vision" ...

*2002: ''Real'',

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*2002: ''The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter 2'',

Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...

; "El Todopoderoso" *2005: ''Mighty Wind'', Andraé Crouch; "I Was Glad" *2006: ''The Lord's Prayer: A Musical Tribute''; "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" (with

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

) *2006: ''Unbreakable Bond'', GB5; "You Who Reigns" *2011: ''Low Country Blues'',

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

; background vocals *2011: ''The Journey'', Andraé Crouch; "Somebody Told Me About Jesus", "He Has a Plan For Me" *2013: ''Live in Los Angeles'', Andraé Crouch; background vocals *2013: '' 20 Feet from Stardom'' soundtrack; featured vocalist and background vocals

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Soulwalking – Tata Vega Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Tata 1951 births American women singers American Pentecostals American soul musicians Elton John Band members Living people Motown artists People from Queens, New York Singers from New York City American musicians of Puerto Rican descent American people of Dominican Republic descent American people of Italian descent