Doris Troy

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"What'cha Gonna Do About It" redirects here. For the Small Faces song, see Whatcha Gonna Do About It.

Doris Troy
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Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004)[2][3] was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was "Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963.

Life and career

She was born as Doris Elaine Higginsen,

Pentecostal minister.[4] She later took her grandmother's name and grew up as Doris Payne.[5] Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir. At age 16, she was working as an usherette at the Apollo[6] where she was discovered by James Brown.[7] Under the name Doris Payne, she began songwriting and earned $100 in 1960 for the Dee Clark hit "How About That".[4][6]

Going into the recording industry, Troy worked as a backup vocalist for Atlantic Records alongside Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick.[8] She was also part of the original lineup of The Sweet Inspirations in 1963, with Cissy Houston and the two Warwicks, who were Houston's nieces.[9][10] Taking her stage name from Helen of Troy,[3] Troy sang backup vocals for Solomon Burke, the Drifters, Houston, and Dionne Warwick,[11] before she co-wrote and recorded "Just One Look" (the songwriting credits use the name Doris Payne). This song hit No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.[12]

"Just One Look" was the only charting US hit for Troy. The song was recorded in 10 minutes in October 1962, with producer Buddy Lucas, as a demo for Atlantic Records.

UK Singles Chart, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", peaked at No. 37 in December 1964.[2]

After moving to London in 1969,[14][15] she was signed by The Beatles to their Apple Records label,[3] and released the Doris Troy album the following year, co-produced by Troy and George Harrison. Troy worked in the UK throughout the 1970s, appearing at Ronnie Scott's Club and recording a live album, The Rainbow Testament. Neither The Rainbow Testament nor her People Records album, Stretching Out, sold well.[16]

As her solo career peaked, she continued to sing

Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers,[18] Edgar Broughton,[18] George Harrison, Johnny Hallyday, Vivian Stanshall, Dusty Springfield,[7] Nick Drake, and Junior Campbell
.

In 1974, Troy moved from England back to the United States, where she played casinos and nightclubs.[6]

Spanish Harlem. Troy played her own mother, Geraldine. Chaka Khan played her aunt in the London production, as did Deniece Williams.[19] Mama, I Want to Sing! was also made into a motion picture, starring Ciara, Patti LaBelle, and Hill Harper, which was released on DVD in 2012.[20]

Troy died from emphysema at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 67.[3]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Sings Just One Look & Other Memorable Selections (1963)
  • Doris Troy (1970)
  • Rainbow Testament (1972)
  • Stretching Out (1974)[21]

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions
US Pop
[22] 		US R&B
[22]
UK
[2]
1963 "Just One Look" 10 3 ―
"What'cha Gonna Do About It" 102 21 37
"Tomorrow Is Another Day" 118 ― ―
1964 "Please Little Angel" 128 ― ―
1965 "Heartaches" ― ― ―
"I'll Do Anything (He Wants Me to Do)" ― ― ―
1970 "Ain't That Cute" ― ― ―
1973 "Baby I Love You" ― ― ―
1974 "Stretchin' Out" ― ― ―
1976 "Black Star" ― ― ―
1977 "Can't Hold On" ― ― ―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

  1. ^ "Obituary: Doris Troy". The Guardian. February 20, 2004.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sisario, Ben (February 19, 2004). "Doris Troy, Pop Singer Whose Life Inspired a Show, Dies at 67". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  4. ^
    ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "Doris Troy". soulfulkindamusic.net. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  6. ^
    ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Doris Troy – Apple Records". applerecords.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  8. ISSN 0458-3035
    . Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "Cissy Houston's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  10. OCLC 298776030
    .
  11. ^ "Doris Troy". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "Doris Troy | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic.
  13. ^ a b c Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Let The Drums Speak!, 2014 pages 69–70.
  14. ^ "Doris Troy Page". soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  15. ^ "Doris Troy | American singer". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Troy, Doris | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  17. ^ "R&B star Doris Troy dead at 67". CNN. February 19, 2004. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Doris Troy – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  19. ISBN 978-0-85721-211-5
    .
  20. ^ "MAMA, I WANT TO SING! Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield & Hill Harper Hit All the Right Notes on DVD February 14" (Press release). prnnewswire.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. ^ "Doris Troy Discography". AllMusic.
  22. ^ a b "Doris Troy Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved August 20, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doris_Troy&oldid=1217877332"