Music: Minnie Riperton

The first time I heard her voice,
I knew I was in love.

 She had a sweetness, a verve, a way of phrasing........ 

 but much more importantly, did she have a range ---
more than five octaves wide.

 And she could hold a note- any note - for what seemed an eternity.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing....

The skill with which she practiced her craft, the freshness and joie de vive.

Her personality just came alive in her music.

And she could move you to any emotion she pleased, just using her voice.

Minnie, born in Chicago in 1947, studied music and dance from an early age, and performed often at Lincoln Center in her youth.

By the time she was twenty, she had worked with such big name artists as Etta James,
Chuck Berry, Ramsey Lewis, and Muddy Waters.

She sang for a time with a group called "Rotary Connection" - and it was with this group that she performed at the first official Catholic Rock Mass in Milwaukee, in 1969.

Her solo albums are really where you will hear her voice shine, though....

Although she is best known for her "Perfect Angel" album,
... and particularly the single "Loving You",
it would be a shame if this was the only work of hers that was available.

Happily, that is not the case.... and much of her best work is available on a set called "Capitol Gold: The Best of Minnie Riperton".

Her most outstanding album by far is called "Come to My Garden" (1972) --
- which was her first solo album, and produced by Charles Stepney.


Her fifth album, "Minnie", was also extremely well done and always an enjoyable listen,

..... despite the fact that this was her last album before her tragic, premature death from cancer at age 32.

Every time I see her daughter, Maya Rudolph, on TV, I can't help but remember the beauty of Minnie's music... and the legacy for everyone that she left.

 Mere words cannot do justice to her work.

 I hope you will check out a couple of these videos, and become a fan of Minnie's, too!!