Evelyn Thomas

Evelyn Thomas, born Ellen Lucille Thomas on August 22, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, was an American singer and Broadway performer whose career spanned recording, live performance, and stage work. She appeared on Broadway between 1975 and 1992, with credits that include The Wiz. Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70.

Thomas came to the attention of British producer Ian Levine in 1975, when Levine was traveling through the United States in search of gospel and soul singers to promote in the United Kingdom. Their collaboration produced several recordings and led to a contract with 20th Century Records. Her debut single, "Weak Spot," co-written by Levine and Paul David Wilson, reached the UK top 30 in 1976. A follow-up single, "Doomsday," charted in the UK on two separate occasions, and Thomas and Levine maintained their working relationship for years afterward.

Her first full-length album, I Wanna Make It on My Own, was released in 1978 on Casablanca Records. With limited promotional support from the label, Thomas moved to AVI Records, where she released the double 12-inch single "Have a Little Faith in Me" / "No Time to Turn Around." AVI subsequently issued the material as an album, supplemented by Rick Gianatos' extended remixes of her 1976 tracks "My Head's in the Stars" and "Love's Not Just an Illusion."

In 1984, Levine invited Thomas to London to record "High Energy," a track that quickly became a chart success across Europe, reaching number one in Germany and number five in the United Kingdom. The song also entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 85, and marked her only appearance on that chart. Three additional songs reached the Billboard dance chart during her career. The same year, her third studio album, also titled High Energy, was released on Record Shack, and included the follow-up single "Masquerade," which received significant airplay in European clubs but did not break into the UK top 40. Later in 1984, "Heartless" became her only single besides "High Energy" to chart outside the dance charts in the United States, peaking at number 84 on the Black Singles chart in 1985.

Thomas continued recording through 1986, releasing her fourth studio album, Standing at the Crossroads, on Record Shack. That album included a cover of the Supremes' 1967 song "Reflections," which peaked at number 18 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in early 1986, and "How Many Hearts," which reached number 11 on the same chart later that summer. Throughout her recording career, Thomas worked across multiple genres, including disco, hi-NRG, Eurobeat, R&B, and dance music.

In 2009, Thomas joined three others in founding Eljopan Entertainment Incorporated. Following her death, producer Ian Levine acknowledged her passing and premiered a posthumous song, "Out with the Old," in her honor on August 1, 2024.