Rita Coolidge

Born in 1944 in  Nashville, Tennessee, from mixed white and Cherokee parents.  Coolidge's father was a Baptist minister and she first sang radio jingles in Memphis with her sister Priscilla. Coolidge recorded briefly for local label Pepper before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-60s. There she became a highly regarded session singer, working with Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills and many others. She had a relationship with Stills and he wrote a number of songs about her including 'Cherokee', 'The Raven' and 'Sugar Babe'.  In 1969-70, Coolidge toured with the Delaney And Bonnie and Leon Russell (Mad Dogs & Englishman) troupes. Russell's 'Delta Lady' was supposedly inspired by Coolidge.

Returning to Los Angeles, she was signed to a solo recording contract by A&M. Her debut album included the cream of LA session musicians (among them Jones, Booker T., by now her brother-in-law) and it was followed by almost annual releases during the 70s. Coolidge also made several albums with Kris Kristofferson, to whom she was married between 1973 and 1979. The quality of her work was uneven since the purity of her natural voice was not always matched by subtlety of interpretation. Her first hit singles were a revival of the Jackie Wilson hit 'Higher And Higher' and 'We're All Alone', produced by Booker T. in 1977.  The following year a version of the Temptations' 'The Way You Do The Things You Do' reached the Top 20.  Coolidge was less active in the 80s, although in 1983 she recorded a James Bond movie theme, 'All Time High', from Octopussy.  Her recent work, including 1997's Walela project with Priscilla Coolidge and Laura Satterfield, has explored her Cherokee roots.

"There are a lot of Native Americans making Native American music.  It's not a format that appeals to Top 40 radio. It's considered Alternative music and often embraced by the new-agers. There's a country artist, Bill Miller, an Indian flute player. There have been successful Native American artists such as Buffy St. Marie, Robby Robertson of The Band, and Wayne Newton, as well. I think the popularity of Native American music is growing. Which should open doors for a lot of Native musicians."  Rita Coolidge (Excerpt from 10/29/96  People Magazine Online Interview)

  Walela

Click here here for Red Earth's Walela Page or the below album titles for ordering information/sound samples

Unbearable Love

Walela

Best Of Rita Coolidge-Millennium

Dancing With An Angel

Out of the Blues

Thinkin' About You

Collection

Greatest Hits

Rita Coolidge

Natural Act

Breakaway

Compilations

1977 Greatest Hits

Big Blues

Greatest Hits of '77

Greatest Hits of 1983

Rock N' Reggae

Live at Gilley's

Songs of the Spirit

High Times

After Midnight