David Lasley

David Eldon Lasley (August 20, 1947 – December 9, 2021) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician born in Michigan to Bernice and Roy Lasley. He grew up on a farm in Branch, Michigan, north of Grand Rapids, where he sang with his family in church and played cornet in the school band. He is the younger brother of Dean and Judy Lasley and had a younger sister, Julie Ann, who later sang with him in his first vocal group. His maternal grandmother, Mabel McKenzie, served as the Custer Representative of The News.

As a teenager, Lasley formed an a cappella group called The Utopias with his sister Julie and Joan Hughes. The group traveled to Detroit to pitch recordings they had made themselves to radio stations and record labels. Their first release, "Girls Are Against Me," appeared on the LaSalle label, distributed by Solid Hitbounds Productions, as reported by Roger Bass in Billboard. Music critic Dave Marsh, who directed Lasley to Fortune Records, cited his Detroit roots as a significant factor. Fortune Records subsequently signed The Utopias, releasing songs Lasley wrote, including "Good Friends Forever" and "Sally Bad." Their first manager, John Bosquely, secured regular club engagements for the group, including forty consecutive Sunday nights at the Driftwood Lounge at The 20 Grand nightclub, appearances on the Swingin' Time TV Show hosted by Robin Seymour, and gigs for radio DJ Johnny Weems. At The 20 Grand, Lasley befriended Roger Bass, the house band's keyboard player, who co-wrote the group's third single. Lasley's first recorded songwriting credit was "Just Give Me One Good Reason" by Maxine Brown, written with Bass. Lasley met the group's second manager, Johnny Powers, around early 1969. His cover recording of "One Fine Day," produced by Powers and Bass, was released by Philly Groove 178 in 1973 and was named a Billboard Top Single Pick.

Lasley's Broadway career spanned 1969 to 1972. He joined the cast of Hair in 1970, performing first in Detroit before moving to New York City. In 1972 he played a leading singing role in Dude, the Broadway production written by Gerome Ragni with music by Galt MacDermot, which opened at the Broadway Theatre that year.

Lasley began working as a background vocalist in 1970. Alongside Luther Vandross, he contributed to recordings by Chic and Sister Sledge. Darlene Love recounted in an interview with Hi-Fi Magazine that she was introduced to Vandross through Lasley. Performers with whom Lasley worked as a session singer or collaborator included James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Boz Scaggs, Todd Rundgren, Rita Coolidge, and Melissa Manchester, among others. In 1977 he began touring with James Taylor as a background vocalist, a professional relationship that continued for decades and included television appearances on The Jay Leno Show as well as recording sessions. In Lenny Kravitz's book Let Love Rule, Kravitz describes Lasley offering him a place to sleep, providing songwriting mentorship, and introducing him to Almo/Irving Music, which led to a publishing deal for Kravitz.

As a songwriter, Lasley wrote material recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Maxine Nightingale, Rita Coolidge, Crystal Gayle, and Luther Vandross. In 1980 he was signed by David Geffen to Geffen Records, at which time he was one of the chief staff writers at Irving Almo Music. In 1985, Adam Block described Lasley in The Advocate as "one of the most heard, least known, figures in pop," noting his "velvet falsetto" and "songwriting reminiscent of early Laura Nyro." Stephen Holden characterized him as "the somewhat more refined white soul singer" in a comparison with the high tenor of Mick Hucknall of Simply Red. In the 1980s Lasley also served as the radio voice for commercials including Miller Beer and Seagram's Cooler.

Under the group name Rosie, Lasley recorded with Lynn Pitney and Lana Marrano, releasing Better Late Than Never on RCA in 1976, which featured the track "Roll Me Through The Rushes," followed by Last Dance on RCA in 1977. His debut solo album, Missin' Twenty Grand, took its name from The 20 Grand, the Detroit club where he and his sister had performed. The single "If I Had My Wish Tonight" spent ten weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 36 in May 1982. His second solo album, Raindance, was released on EMI Records and produced by Don Was; it included the 1984 single "It's A Cryin' Shame (Sha La La La)." His third solo album, Soldiers on the Moon, was recorded live to 2-track, produced by Jeff Weber, released by Pony Canyon in Japan and by Agenda, distributed by BMG, in the United States, and later reissued in Japan by Cool Sounds. Subsequent releases included Demos, Demos 2, Expectations of Love, Back to Blue-Eyed Soul, and Now and Again. Lasley also appears in the documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom.

Lasley died on December 9, 2021, at the age of 74. Tributes were posted by Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Bette Midler, Desmond Child, Roxanne Seeman, and the ASCAP organization. Taylor shared a YouTube video of a Lasley song that received more than 24,000 views within 24 hours, referenced in Billboard's obituary. At a James Taylor and Jackson Browne concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 10, Taylor paid tribute to Lasley, noting that he had performed with the band since the mid-1970s, and offered a gospel-inspired performance of "Shower the People" in his memory.