I was very saddened today to learn that Loleatta Holloway had died. I would guess that very few people could name Loleatta Holloway given one of her songs, nor could they name one of her songs given her name; yet I would bet that most everyone has heard her sing. Her professional career started in the 1970s, and she had multiple top 10 hits. The two that most people would recognize are Love Sensation (1980, #1) and Good Vibrations (1991, #1 performed by Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch featuring her vocals). These songs have been sampled and used in songs countless times.
There is a third song which made it to #1 in the UK and was popular in clubs in the US, but never charted. That was Black Box’s Ride on Time in 1989. Loleatta was the only vocalist on the track but was not credited (she was not a part of Black Box). She sued Black Box and won. This is the song I will most remember Loleatta for. In fact, this is one of the songs that inspired my own music journey early on. It was included in the very first mix tape I ever made and distributed to my friends in college, and is a track I listed to even today.
Thank you Loleatta Holloway for your contribution to music and to my love for it.