Tasha Thomas

Tasha Thomas, born Eleanor Ann Robinson on February 3, 1945, was an American singer and actress who worked across Broadway, recording, and television before her death on October 15, 1984. Her birthplace is frequently listed as Jeutyn, Alaska, though no such town has been verified to exist.

Thomas made her Broadway debut in 1975 in the original production of The Wiz, where she originated the role of Aunt Em. Her contribution to the cast album included a performance of the ballad "The Feeling We Once Had," which brought her significant critical attention. Earlier in her career, in 1972, she had sung backup vocals alongside singer-songwriter and Songwriters Hall of Famer Ellie Greenwich on Jim Croce's debut album You Don't Mess Around With Jim. She continued her work as a session vocalist on Slade's 1976 album Nobody's Fools, providing backing vocals on several tracks including the title song, and appeared on the 1977 Kiss album Love Gun as one of the performers credited as the KISSettes.

Her growing reputation as a versatile vocalist led producers James R. Glaser, also known as Jimmi Hood, and Peter Rugile to sign Thomas to their company, Orbit Record Productions, in 1978. Her debut release on their independent Orbit Records label was "Shoot Me (With Your Love)," written by Glaser, which became an international dance hit. When demand for the record outpaced the label's capacity, Glaser and Rugile moved Thomas and their production company to Atlantic Records. The resulting album, Midnight Rendezvous, was recorded in 1979 and featured "Shoot Me (With Your Love)" as its centerpiece track. New York Times music critic Robert Palmer described the song as one of the grittiest and most rousing disco records of the year, predicting it would become a classic of erotic dance music. The single reached number 91 on the U.S. Pop chart, number 25 on the R&B chart, and number 59 in the United Kingdom, and received a nomination for Best R&B Single of the Year at the 1979 BMA Awards.

Following the success of the single, Thomas appeared on a range of television music and talk programs. These included Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Soul Train, The Merv Griffin Show, The Midnight Special, and Dance Fever, with several appearances documented to specific air dates in the spring of 1979.

Thomas died of cervical cancer at the age of 39. Her recorded output includes the 1975 Wiz cast album on Atlantic Records and the 1979 solo album Midnight Rendezvous, also on Atlantic, along with singles that included "Hot Buttered Boogie" and "Street Fever."