Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton
Riperton in 1977
Born
Minnie Julia Riperton[1][2][3]

(1947-11-08)November 8, 1947
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 1979(1979-07-12) (aged 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesAndrea Davis
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1962–1979
Notable work"Lovin' You"
Spouse
​
(m. 1970)​
Children2, including Maya Rudolph
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels

Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979)[4][5] was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register.[6]

Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama and dance at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Center.[7] In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group The Gems. Her early affiliation with the Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backing vocals for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the psychedelic soul band Rotary Connection from 1967 to 1971.

On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the pinnacle of her career with her No. 1 single "Lovin' You". The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album titled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer; in April, she underwent a radical mastectomy.[4][8] By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with a breast cancer diagnosis, but she did not disclose that she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society's Courage Award, which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. Riperton died of breast cancer on July 12, 1979, at the age of 31.

  1. ^ Patricia Romanowski, Holly George-Warren (September 2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll (Paperback ed.). Fireside Books. p. 825. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Minnie Riperton - Biography". allmusic.com. The RhythmOne Group. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Jones, Jackie. "20 People Who Changed Black Music: Operatic Angel Minnie Riperton, the Voice of Perfection". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Unsung: The Minnie Riperton Story". Unsung: The Minnie Riperton Story. June 7, 2009. Cable Network=TV-ONE.
  5. ^ "California Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]". The Generations Network. 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  6. ^ Chick, Stevie (June 29, 2016). "Minnie Riperton – 10 of the best". Guardian.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. ^ McCollum, Leticia Y. (2001). Women Building Chicago 1790-1990: a Biographical Dictionary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 751[https. ISBN 0253338522.
  8. ^ Rockwell, John (May 11, 1977). "Minnie Riperton: The octave lady composes songs, too". Wilmington Morning Star. p. 7. Retrieved March 26, 2019. I had a mastectomy the day after Easter last year.