Yvonne Gage (born December 20, 1959) is an American singer from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. Active since the late 1970s, she has done
background vocals for artists prior to and after her own solo success.
As a session musician, she has provided vocals for many well known artists, including the incomparable Queen of Soul -
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
,
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
,
Michael McDonald,
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
,
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
,
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
,
Ashford & Simpson,
Kem,
Janelle Monáe, and
Kindred the Family Soul
Kindred the Family Soul, also referred to as simply Kindred, is an American neo soul duo consisting of married couple Fatin Dantzler (born in 1973 in Camden, New Jersey) and Aja Graydon (born September 25, 1978 in Los Angeles, California). Signed ...
.
Biography
Gage began singing in the church choir.
At 14, She joined a local R&B band, The Soulettes, and sang with them for seven years. During this time, the band was renamed "First Love", then simply "Love", and released an album, ''Love at First Sight,'' under the independent Chicago International Music label in 1980.
However, Gage already had left the band at the time of release, to become a backing vocalist for
Captain Sky
Daryl L. Cameron (born July 10, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois), better known as Captain Sky, is an American musician and singer. Captain Sky’s funk-based musical style, futuristic costumes, and psychedelic imagery are similar to those of Geor ...
.
While touring with him, and beside acts such as
Cameo,
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song " Home" from t ...
,
Kleeer
Kleeer was an American New York City–based funk, disco and post-disco band, which was formed in 1972 under the name The Jam Band, as a backup group to different disco bands and vocalists.
Members
* Woodrow "Woody" Cunningham (lead vocalist an ...
and
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
, she met Don Burnside, Captain's Sky producer at the time.
He produced her first solo single, "Garden of Eve", in 1981 for
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 ...
.
The track managed to enter the
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart, and rank at number 36.
Burnside also introduced her to then playing
new wave band
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
.
Gage took part in their ''
With Sympathy
''With Sympathy'' is the debut studio album by American industrial band Ministry, released on May 10, 1983 by Arista Records. The group was formed in 1981 by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Al Jourgensen, with drummer Stephen George being ...
'' tour, appearing alongside
Madness
Madness or The Madness may refer to:
Emotion and mental health
* Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat
* Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns
* ...
,
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
and
Culture Club
Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...
. After finishing touring, she recorded a commercial for Ultra-Curl, before going back to studio.
''Virginity'' (1984)
Gage then went to record her first album, ''Virginity.'' It was produced by Burnside, and released in 1984 under Chicago International Music. Its
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
featured mildly risque figures of the singer wearing a seal-fur coat. The album features a song called "Doin' It in a Haunted House," which was heavily inspired by, and described as the "unofficial answer to
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 ...
's '
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'" by
''Billboard''.
Although the song was released on
Epic
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
/
CBS Records like "Thriller," producer
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English songwriter, producer and musician.
Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s pop music, disco and funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "St ...
sued Gage for plagiarism. According to her, he "wasn't interested in collecting any money, he just wanted to kill
errecord."
"Doin' It in a Haunted House" reached number 45 in the
UK Singles chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
,
and 78 on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
, then called the "Black Singles" charts.
"Lover of My Dreams," another single taken from the album, also entered the UK Top 40 charts, ranking at number 79 for three weeks.
That would be her last single to enter the charts.
She later released singles in 1990, 2002 and 2011, but never meeting with her 1980s success again.
In 1999, she collaborated once again with Ministry, contributing backing vocals on ''
Dark Side of the Spoon
''Dark Side of the Spoon'' is the seventh studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on June 8, 1999 by Warner Bros. Records. " Bad Blood" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2000.
Background
' ...
''
's "Eureka Pile." She is also a vocal teacher at Chicago's
Roosevelt University.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gage, Yvonne
Living people
1959 births
Singers from Chicago
20th-century African-American women singers
20th-century American women singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women