Jeanie Tracy

Jeanie Tracy
Background information
Birth name Jeanie Tracy
Origin Houston, Texas, United States
Genres Disco, house, Hi-NRG, gospel, soul
Occupation(s) Singer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1970–present
Labels Mamahouse Records, Carrillo Music, AM Records, TommyBoy, Megatone

Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter and actress, born in Houston, Texas and raised in Fresno, California.

Career

Growing up Tracy sang in a church and school choir in addition to studying opera and classical piano. Tracy moved to San Francisco and quickly began singing in night clubs and special events. Tracy went on to do the lead role in Sing Mahalia Sing upon Jennifer Holliday leaving the show under the direction of George Faison, and then working with director George Coates in the theatrical piece Right Mind. Tracy was noticed by Harvey Fuqua who hired to her to write and produce for gospel group Voices of Harmony on his Honey record label. Tracy provided vocals for the experimental soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's film, Apocalypse Now.[1]

In the early 1980s, Harvey Fuqua put Tracy with fellow mentor Sylvester, where she sang backgrounds with Martha Wash and Izora Armstead, better known as the Two Tons of Fun, leading to the 1981 duet with Sylvester, "Here Is My Love", and "Give it Up" for Fantasy Records. Also, Provided her background vocal appearance alongside with Sylvester on lead vocals on the Herbie Hancock album Magic Windows entitled Magic Number. Tracy traveled the world with Sylvester and the girls and sang backup with them and as well for the Ton's projects. The following year Fantasy released her first album, Me and You. The same year Tracy featured as lead singer on trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's album Splash. In 1984, she performed on the hit Television Show Star Search where she was a semi-finalist in the Female Vocalist category. She was then summoned by San Francisco-based Producer Narada Michael Walden to provide backing vocals for some of the world's top recording artist such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Tevin Campbell, and Shanice Wilson. She also worked with Narada's protege Walter Affanasieff, on movie soundtracks such as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Snow Dogs," working with Michael Bolton, Grover Washington, Peobo Bryson, Celine Dion among others. Tracy provided lead vocals for the Disney Movie Channel's theme song, "The Wonderful World of Disney." She has worked on other soundtracks such as: "Bozo the Clown," "Stuart Little," "Hercules," "About Last Night," "The Bodyguard," "Make me Smile," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Mr. Wonderful," and "In and Out." Tracy also did the voice of Bantu the Snake and Kimmie the Cat in the PBS Children's weekly series The Adventures of KangaRoddy. She was summoned yet again by Carlos Santana to sing on his return album, SUPERNATURAL with fellow artist Tony Lindsay on "The Calling," and singing on the "Titanic" soundtrack with Celine Dion, both earning Grammy Awards. She had two hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the mid-1980s. Those singles were "Time Bomb" and "Don't Leave Me This Way," which peaked at #22 on that chart. After a hiatus from caring for her ailing friend Sylvester, Tracy returned, releasing her second album, It's My Time in 1995 in the UK on Pulse-8 records. The album scored an underground hit with the title track in the States. After releasing a steady stream of increasingly popular singles, Tracy experienced a career resurgence in the late 1990s which resulted in two Top 20 US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play with "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (1998) and "Keep The Party Jumpin'" (1999) with producers Frank Abraham and Jimmy Markee on the San Francisco-based AM Records. It was through AM records that Tracy was introduced to Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguillera. In 2001, her collaboration with Rosabel (DJ's Ralphi Rosario and Abel), "The Power", spent one week at number one. In June 2004, she again reached number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Cha Cha Heels", another collaboration with Rosabel and TommyBoy Records. This was Tracy's biggest hit ever in her career worldwide. Tracy's third number one Billboard Hit came in February 2007 with "Party People", a collaboration with Brazilian producers Altar. "Party People" was included on at least twenty compilations and was featured in the hit Universal film "Bring it On 5" with Christina Milian. The success of her singles in recent years has prompted her, and her producers, to plan a possible full length album. If it materializes, it would be her first album in over a decade. Tracy's follow up single, "Everybody Up", also produced by Altar, was released in April 2008 climbing to #13 on the US Dance Club Charts. Still going strong with dance music, Tracy and Rosabel teamed up once again with the single "Livin For your Love" to rise to another #1 on the US Dance Club Charts in 2016, making this their third #1 together.

In 2010, she appeared on TV One's Unsung program about Sylvester. Tracy also appeared in the Unsung television documentary about her good friend Angela Bofill. She also appears in the BBC television documentary "The Queens of Disco" and another BBC television documentary "The Joy of Disco". Tracy has just finished an interview for a book, More, More More, The First Ladies Of Disco and another published book about her mentor and friend The Fabulous Sylvester.

2012 has garnered her two prestigious awards, being inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame and Just Circuit Award Hall of Fame Artist Award. Jeanie loves to sing and write songs that inspire and motivate people of the world to feel good about themselves.

Discography

Albums

Singles

  • "Making New Friends"
  • "Here Is My Love" / "Give It Up (Don't Make Me Wait)" (1981, with Sylvester)
  • "Magic Number" (1981, with Herbie Hancock & Sylvester)
  • "Me and You" (1982)
  • "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" (1983)
  • "Time Bomb" (1984)
  • "Manhunt" (1984)
  • "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1985)
  • "Living For The City" (1986)
  • "Earthquake" (1987)
  • "Fire" (1987)
  • "Do You Want My Love"
  • "I Found Love" (1990)
  • "Funkin' With Your Emotions" / "Picture This" (1991)
  • "It's My Time" (1993)
  • "If This Is Love" (1994) - UK #73[2]
  • "Do You Believe In The Wonder" (1994) - UK #57[2]
  • "Crying In My Sleep" / "Do The Right Thing" / "Do You Wanna Be" (1995)
  • "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1995, duet with Bobby Womack) - UK #73[2]
  • "Answer My Prayer" (1998)
  • "Hang In There Baby" (1998)
  • "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" (1999)
  • "Keep The Party Jumpin'" (1999)
  • "The Power" (2001) (Rosabel feat. Jeanie Tracy; #1 US Hot Dance Club Songs)
  • "Cha Cha Heels" (2004) (Rosabel feat, Jeanie Tracy) #1 US Dance Club Songs)
  • "Party People" (2007) (Altar feat. Jeanie Tracy; #1 US Hot Dance Club Songs)
  • "Everybody Up" (2008) (Altar & Jeanie Tracy; #7 US Hot Dance Club Singles)
  • "Turn it Out" (2009) with Altar
  • "Feel Good" (2010) with Edson Pride
  • "Getcha hands Off a my Man" (2012)
  • "We will be Free To nite" (2012)
  • "Viva" (2014) with Altar
  • "Andale" (2015) (Altar & Jeanie Tracy; #20 US Dance Club Songs) Cha Cha Heels
  • "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016) (Rosabel feat. Jeanie Tracy; #1 US Dance Club Songs) Carrillo Music
  • Fabulous* 2016 (Dirty Disco feat jeanie tracy) #13 US Dance Club Songs)

Compilations

  • A Night in Orbit - DJ Manny Lehman (1999) 4Play Records
  • Circuit 2K V.1 - DJ Frank Abraham (1999) AM Records
  • Circuit 2K V.2 - DJ Frank Abraham (1999) AM Records

See also

References

  1. ↑ Imeem.com
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 564. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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