Eloise Laws

Eloise Laws, born Lavern Eloise Laws on November 6, 1943, in Houston, Texas, is an American singer and Broadway performer who emerged from one of Houston's most celebrated musical families. The fourth of eight children born to Miola Luverta Donahue and Hubert Laws, Sr., she grew up alongside siblings who would each establish their own careers in music, including flutist Hubert Laws, saxophonist Ronnie Laws, and vocalist Debra Laws.

Laws began building her recording career in the 1970s, during which time she also served as the first replacement for Marilyn McCoo in The 5th Dimension. She subsequently recorded for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Music Merchant and Invictus labels, releasing her debut album, Ain't It Good Feeling Good, on Invictus in 1977. Following the closure of both labels, she released two additional albums that same year and in 1980 — Eloise on ABC and Eloise Laws on Liberty — both of which featured the songwriting and production work of Linda Creed. Her 1982 Capitol release, All in Time, continued her solo output, after which she contributed to recordings by artists including Harvey Mason, Lee Oskar, Aquarian Dream, and Ahmad Jamal, as well as several projects by her siblings. She is also credited as a backing vocalist on her brother Ronnie's 1980 album Every Generation.

Laws did not release another solo album until the late 1990s, having shifted her focus toward a stage career. That work culminated in her appearance on Broadway in 1999 in It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, a Tony-nominated musical that she also co-wrote. Her performance earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. She subsequently returned to recording, releasing The Key in 2000 and Secrets in 2003, both on the Scepterstein label.