Sharon Redd

Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992) was an American singer and Broadway performer born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Gene and Katherine Redd. Her father, Gene Redd, worked as a producer and musical director at King Records, and her stepfather performed in Benny Goodman's orchestra. Her brother, Gene Redd Jr., was a songwriter and producer whose credits included work with Kool & the Gang and the band BMP. Her half-sister, Penny Ford, built her own career as a singer, recording two solo albums and serving as the lead vocalist for Snap!, Soul II Soul, and the S.O.S. Band.

Redd launched her recording career in 1968 with four singles on the United Artists label, all produced by Bobby Susser, who also wrote three of them. Susser selected the Hank Williams song "Half as Much" as her debut single, pairing her vocals with a heavy-bass arrangement that drew attention from R&B radio. Her acting career gained momentum when she was cast in an Australian production of the rock musical Hair, joining a group of young African American performers that also included Marcia Hines. Redd performed in the Sydney production from its June 6, 1969, premiere through 1971. During that period she appeared on a 1971 episode of the television program GTK, interviewed by Barry Sloane, and her Amoco advertisements led to her own television special. In April 1971, Redd and Hair co-star Teddy Williams were asked to leave Australia by the Immigration Department under circumstances both performers attributed to racial motivation. Beyond Hair, she also appeared in Ti-Jean and His Brothers, and in 1974 traveled to London to perform in an American production of The Wedding of Iphigenia.

Redd's Broadway career spanned 1973 to 1975, during which she appeared in Bette Midler's Clams on the Half Shell Revue alongside Bette Midler. Her path to that stage came after Midler auditioned more than 70 performers to replace Merle Miller and Gail Kantor, who had departed following Midler's 1973 tour. Redd secured the position and became one of Bette's Harlettes. Following her time with Midler, she joined former Harlettes Charlotte Crossley and Ula Hedwig to release the LP Formerly of the Harlettes in late 1977. During this period she also contributed backing vocals to recordings by Carol Douglas, including "Burnin'" and "Night Fever," and to Norman Connors' "You Are My Starship."

Outside her Broadway and Harlettes work, Redd continued to accumulate screen and stage credits. In 1977 she played the role of Sherrye in the U.S. sitcom Rhoda, and in 1978 she appeared as a guest in the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. That same year, RCA Victor released "Love Insurance" on a 12-inch disco single under the name Front Page with Sharon Redd, crediting her by name on that version. In 1979, Panorama Records released a separate version of "Love Insurance" under the Front Page name without crediting her vocals.

Redd subsequently signed with Prelude Records, where she became the label's most successful artist. Her self-titled debut studio album appeared in 1980, followed by Redd Hott in 1982 and Love How You Feel in 1983. Several of her recordings charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, among them "Beat the Street," "In the Name of Love," and "Love How You Feel." After those releases, she returned to work as a backing vocalist, including with the group Soirée, whose members also included Luther Vandross and Jocelyn Brown.

In early 1992, Redd reached the UK top 20 with a re-recorded version of "Can You Handle It," produced with DNA, the remixers known for "Tom's Diner." She performed the song live with the duo on BBC One's Top of the Pops on January 30, 1992. She subsequently recorded a solo single titled "All the Way to Love" with L.A. Mix's Les Adams, a track that was never released. Redd died of pneumonia on May 1, 1992. In 1993, her vocals appeared posthumously on the duet track "Under Pressure," included on half-sister Penny Ford's self-titled album. She was posthumously honored at the 2011 Divas Simply Singing music benefit, and the National AIDS Memorial included her in an online exhibit commemorating Black History Month.