Rachel Sweet

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Rachel Sweet
Born (1962-07-28) July 28, 1962 (age 61)
Alma materColumbia University (BA)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • television writer
  • producer
Known for
Spouse
​
(m. 1997)​
ChildrenTwo
Musical career
BornAkron, Ohio, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1974–present
LabelsStiff, Columbia

Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962)[1] is an American singer, television writer and actress.

Early life and education

Rachel Sweet was born in Akron, Ohio,[2][3] Because she pursued her singing career so young, she dropped out of high school to concentrate on her career, but she was still required to devote time to her studies.[2][4][5]

Sweet resumed her education via

correspondence courses, and she eventually graduated from Columbia University with a degree in French and English Literature in 1988.[4]

Singing career

Sweet began her singing career at age three when she won an electric garage door opener in a local talent contest after singing "I'm a Little Dutch Girl."[6] She began recording commercials at the age of six, toured with Mickey Rooney, and performed in Las Vegas as the opening act for Bill Cosby at the age of 12.[2][3][7] She began recording country music in 1974, but with little success beyond one minor hit.[2]

Switching to

Rex Smith.[2] The album also includes "Shadows of the Night," later a hit for Pat Benatar
.

Sweet released only one more album, 1982's Blame It on Love, which featured the song "Voo Doo". The video for the song was played on MTV, and she performed the song on the musical TV show Solid Gold.[2] An album she recorded tracks for in 1982-83 remains unreleased.

She returned to music sporadically as she focused on her education, co-writing and recording the title song for John Waters' film Hairspray, and several songs for Waters' musical film Cry-Baby.[4]

In 1992,

Rhino Records released Fool Around: The Best of Rachel Sweet. The CD compilation includes all of her first album, Fool Around, as well as tracks from her other three albums and the theme from Hairspray.[10]

Film and television

In 1982, Sweet had a starring role in the low-budget musical film Rock 'n' Roll Hotel, which also featured Judd Nelson and was filmed in Richmond, Virginia, at the then-inoperative Jefferson Hotel. Shooting in Richmond with local extras began in October 1982 and was halted abruptly in December. The film's original 3D version, with scenes in the style of early MTV music videos, received only two screenings in 1983, in Los Angeles and New York. It was never released theatrically, even after it was eventually re-cut and completed in 1986 under the supervision of Sweet's father, Dick.[11]

Sweet also appeared in the 1989 musical film

B-side of the soundtrack single "Romance (Love Theme from "Sing") by Paul Carrack and Terri Nunn.[12]

In 1989 and 1990, Sweet hosted a show on The Comedy Channel (forerunner of Comedy Central) called The Sweet Life,[4] which also featured Jon Stewart. Her recording of the theme song to the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All[4] was a reworking of the theme song from The Sweet Life; and she provided vocals for songs in the Barbie animated series.[4]

Sweet had a minor role as George Costanza's cousin in "The Contest", a 1992 episode of the TV sitcom Seinfeld. She played a waitress in the 1994 film comedy All Tied Up.

Focusing on a writing and producing career in television since the late 1990s,[4] she has been a writer and/or executive producer on series including Dharma & Greg, Commando Nanny, George Lopez, Hot in Cleveland,[13][14] 2 Broke Girls, The Single Guy and The Goldbergs.[15]

Personal life

Sweet owned

Madonna's former home Los Pavoreales, selling it in 2010.[13]

Sweet married television writer and producer Tom Palmer in 1997 and has two children.

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

  • B.A.B.Y. - the Best of Rachel Sweet (1978), Stiff
  • Fool Around: The Best of Rachel Sweet (1992), Rhino
  • ...And Then He Kissed Me / Blame It On Love (2005), Sony
  • Baby: Complete Stiff Recordings 1978 - 1980 (2014), RPM Records UK

Singles

  • "Any Port in a Storm" (1976), Derrick
  • "Paper Airplane" (1976), Derrick
  • "The Ballad of Mable Ruth Miller and John Wesley Pritchett" (1976), Derrick
  • "B-A-B-Y" (1978), Stiff - UK No. 35,[8] AUS No. 47
  • "Stranger in the House" (1978), Stiff-Columbia
  • "Baby Let's Play House" (1979), Stiff
  • "I Go to Pieces" (1979), Stiff, AUS No. 36
  • "Tonight" (1980), Stiff
  • "Spellbound" (1980), Stiff, US No. 107
  • "Fool's Gold" (1980), Stiff
  • "Lover's Lane" (1980), Stiff/Columbia
  • "Everlasting Love" (1981), Columbia - with Rex Smith, US No. 32[16] UK No. 35,[17] AUS No. 41
  • "Then He Kissed Me - Be My Baby" (1981), CBS, AUS No. 55
  • "Shadows Of The Night" (1981), CBS
  • "Voo Doo" (1982), Columbia - US No. 72[16]
  • "Hairspray" (1988), MCA

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Sweet". Oldies.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  2. ^
    AllMusic
    . Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Campbell, Mary (1979), Rachel Sweet: Busy Singer at 16, Made Debut at 5", Lewiston Daily Sun, September 12, 1979, p. 16, retrieved 2010-11-22.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-87338-691-3
    , p. 397-8
  5. ^
    Tuscaloosa News
    , May 23, 1980, p. 12
  6. ^ Dawidziak, Mark. "[1] Akron native Rachel Sweet savors writer-producer role on 'Hot in Cleveland'", Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 14, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Patterson, Jim (1992) "Best-of Album Leaves Desire for new Rachel Sweet Release", Daily News, November 8, 1992, p. 12C, retrieved 2010-11-22
  8. ^ a b "Rachel Sweet", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-11-22
  9. Allmusic
    , retrieved 2010-11-22
  10. ISBN 9780879306533
    .
  11. The L Magazine
    . Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Romance (Love Theme from 'Sing')". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Beale, Lauren (April 12, 2010). "Singer Rachel Sweet sells Los Pavoreales for $4,895,000". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  14. ^ "'Commando Nanny': A Sweet Deal". Akron Beacon Journal. July 18, 2004.
  15. IMDb
  16. ^
    Allmusic
    , retrieved November 22, 2010
  17. ^ "Rex Smith And Rachel Sweet", Chart Stats, retrieved November 22, 2010

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rachel_Sweet&oldid=1217790799"