Guylaine Guy

Artist: Guylaine Guy

LP: French Doll
Song: "Paris est un Accordéon"
[ listen ]

Song: "Madame Bertrand"
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"French Doll" Guylaine Guy is a Canadian! Born in the spring of 1929 in Montreal, Guylaine got her start singing in some of her city's cabarets. Charles Trenet discovered her there in 1955 and began writing songs for her...and the rest, as they say, isn't history. That's because after touring the world and having a hit record in 1963, Gylaine retired from music to focus on her art. I've been sifting through my French-language LPs and am getting rid of quite a few, but this 1957 delight is definitely a keeper.

[ Guylaine Guy in 1957 ]

 [ Guylaine Guy in 2015 ]

Vanity [1959-2016]

Artist: Vanity

LP: 7" single

Song: "Pretty Mess" 
[ listen ]

When I went to Golden Oldies after Prince died to see if I could find more of his 45s, Scott, the guy working there, said that he'd heard that Apollonia had died too just a few weeks earlier. I looked her up when I got home and found out that she was still rather alive. But then when some friends and I went to see PURPLE RAIN at Oak Tree Cinemas this past Thursday, my friend Beatrice said that it was Vanity who had died—but this time it was true! (It's hard to keep track of Prince's women—Vanity; Apollonia; Sheila E.—they all look kinda' alike, they all like to wear lace, and of course they're all deliciously sexy.) 

A few things I learned about Vanity today that I didn't know before: Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 are the exact same band, just with a different singer—and both groups' #6 really IS a reference to their total combined breast count. Vanity was set to sing "Sex Shooter" and co-star in PURPLE RAIN, but then Prince had to scramble to find a replacement when their relationship hit the skids and Vanity ditched Prince and his entourage for a solo career with Motown Records. In 1994, Vanity overdosed on crack and had a near-death experience, during which Jesus appeared to her and told her to change her ways. So she did. And that, my friends, was the end of the sexy, saucy nastiness of the artist formerly known as Vanity. You can read more about Denise "Vanity" Matthews here and here, and here's her obituary from the New York Times. And as for "Pretty Mess," we'll it's just totally and wonderfully bonkers. 

Vanity

[ January 4, 1959 — February 15, 2016 ]

We will miss you, Vanity.

Thelma Houston

 

Artist: Thelma Houston

LP: The Devil In Me

Song: "I'm Here Again"

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Born in Leland, Mississippi in 1943, Thelma Houston is primarily known for her popular cover version of "Don't Leave Me This Way," which topped Billboard's Hot 100, R&B and Dance singles charts in 1976. "The Devil In Me" was Houston's follow-up record, and, though filled with the same energetic, danceable pizazz that gave her a hit the year before, it didn't bring her a similar success. The album's first single, "I'm Here Again" only reached #21 on Billboard's R&B singles charts, but just see if you can keep your body from dancin' to it! You can read all about the fabulous life and career of Thelma Houston here and find videos, pictures, new music samples and become Thelma Houston's friend on her MySpace page here.