Marlena Shaw
In 2009 Marlena received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented in London by World Wide Music.
Using the experience she received with the Count Basie Band, Marlena has become a favorite singer for big bands. Witness her work with Frank Foster at Lincoln Center and with Diva. But despite her long experience, there’s no slickness or pretense in Marlena’s style. Communicating directly from her heart and soul to yours, her undiminished creative vitality has no artificial ingredients. Like water -- or a welcome breath of fresh air – Marlena is an all-natural element.
While everyone agrees that Marlena Shaw is a national treasure, it’s difficult to categorize her. Both Downbeat and Record World have named her “Best Female Singer,” and many have compared her range, class and swing to that of eternal jazz lights like Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson. But she’s also been called a “soul legend,” both before and after her successful detour into disco. Marlena’s a lyricist and composer as well -- for example, her ballad “You” was recorded by both Stanley Turrentine and Benny Golson.
The first woman vocalist ever signed to Blue Note Records, where she made five albums and several singles, Marlena’s recording career actually began in 1966 with Cadet Records (a subsidiary of the ground-breaking Chess Records). Along with hit singles like “Wade in the Water,” “California Soul,” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” (which she co-wrote, and which first brought her to Count Basie’s attention), she made two well-received albums. At Columbia Records there were four more, including the disco smash, “Take a Bite!,” and Verve and Concord followed.
Marlena is universally admired for her warm, supple voice and relaxed charm; a natural storyteller, her spoken words before, during, and between songs are often hilarious. In fact, the set-up to her signature tune, “Go Away, Little Boy” has become a famous monologue in itself, entitled “Yu-Ma.” Marlena’s smiling, spontaneous interplay with both her band and her audience invites the listener in like a valued friend.
In 2000, her tremendous overseas popularity led to “Anthology,” a splendid collection from London’s Soul Brother Records, and two hits for Sony Japan: “Live in Tokyo” (2002) and “Lookin’ for Love” (2003, both released in the US by 441 Records). The critics use words like “astonishing,” “peerless,” “radiant” and “powerful,” and marvel at her “soaring sensuality.” Marlena Shaw is one of the most "sampled" singers of the day, most from her self-penned “Woman of the Ghetto”.
It's Marlena's voice you hear in the Docker's commercial, singing "California Soul", KFC International, Paramount Film’s "The Italian Job", during the NBA Playoffs 2009 and NFL Playoffs in 2008.