Rare Silk

Rare Silk
OriginBoulder, Colorado, U.S.
GenresVocal jazz, swing
Years active1979–1988
LabelsPolydor, Palo Alto
Past members
  • Gaile Gillaspie
  • MaryLynn Gillaspie
  • Marguerite Juenemann
  • Todd Buffa
  • Barbara Reeves
  • Jamie Broumas

Rare Silk was an American vocal jazz group that was active during the 1980s.

MaryLynn Gillaspie and her sister, Gaile, grew up in southern California.[1] Their father played trumpet, and from an early age they heard big band music and Ella Fitzgerald.[1] In 1978, they were working as waitresses in Boulder, Colorado, with Gaile also singing at a local club.[1] After they met another singer, Marguerite Juenemann, they formed Rare Silk.[1] They sang on a local radio station and in clubs, sometimes dressed like the Andrews Sisters.[1]

In 1980, they were the opening act for Benny Goodman at the 1980 Playboy Jazz Festival.[2] They recorded their first album, New Weave, in 1983.[1] This album was nominated for two Grammy Awards.[3] It was followed by American Eyes, which was released in 1985, and Black and Blue, in 1986.[1]

Juenemann left the group and was replaced by Barbara Reeves and then by Jamie Broumas.[2] The band broke up in 1988.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Dickson, Ellie (26 August 2015). "Gillaspie jazzes up Main Street in Louisville". Colorado Hometown Weekly. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Rare Silk". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Rare Silk". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-22.