Randy Crawford, whose real name is Veronica Crawford, is an American singer who began her artistic career when she signed in 1972 with the Columbia Records label, a label which allowed her to release her first Single “Knock on Wood”. Single which will go somewhat unnoticed unfortunately…
In the middle of the decade, we found her playing backing vocals for artists like George Benson and Cannonball Adderley, which did not prevent her from releasing her first solo album “Everything must change”. Album which was released in 1976 and which also went somewhat unnoticed. The same goes for the album “Miss Randy Crawford” which was released a year later in 1977…
She will have to wait two more years and the year 1979 to achieve her first major album success with “Raw Silk”. Album which paradoxically will be unable to produce the slightest hit worthy of the name.
A year 1979 which will still prove to be exceptional for the young singer since we will find her on the Crusaders title "Street life", a Single which will be a real global hit and project the young singer in a way to say the least smashing to the forefront of the international music scene.
The year 1980 saw the release of the album “Now we may begin”, an album which confirmed and above all amplified the level of success achieved by the singer, an album which mainly produced the title “One day I’ll fly away”.
But it is above all the following album “Secret combination” which will bring her fame and fortune in 1981 and which will remain as her highest ranked album in his entire discography. But once again the enormous success of the album will not allow it to produce a mega hit on the Singles side...
New album “Wind song” a year later in 1982, an album with less success than its predecessor but which still produced the high-profile Single “One hello”.
The album “Nightline” which was released the following year in 1983 confirmed the obvious deceleration suffered by the singer even if her level of success was far from negligible. Just like “Abstract emotions” which would be released 3 years later in 1986.
She released a final major album, “Rich and Poor,” in 1989, but without it succeeding, like its predecessors, in producing the slightest global hit.
The adventure will not stop there, far from it, but everything that comes out afterwards will only experience a limited level of success, to say the least.
To discover or rediscover...
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Discography (among others...) :
70s Decade :
Knock on wood 1972
I let you walk away 1977
I'm easy 1977
Take it away from her (Put it on me) 1977
Endlessly 1979
Street life 1979
80s Decade :
Same old story (Same old song) 1980
Last night at Danceland 1980
One day I’ll fly away 1980
Tender falls the rain 1980
People alone (Love theme - The Competition) 1981
When I lose my way 1981
You might need somebody 1981
Secret combination 1981
Rainy night in Georgia 1981
Rio de Janeiro blue 1981
Imagine 1982
One hello 1982
Look who's lonely now 1982
Your precious love 1982
He reminds me 1983
Nightline 1983
Taxi dancing 1984
Can't stand the pain 1986
Desire 1986
Gettin' away with murder 1986
Everybody needs a little rain 1986
Almaz 1986
Higher than anyone can count 1987
Knockin' on heaven's door 1989
90s Decade :
Wrap-U-Up 1990
I don’t feel much like crying 1990
Cigarette in the rain 1990
Diamante 1991
Who's crying now 1992
Rhythm of romance 1992
A lot that you can do 1992
Shine 1992
Love's mystery 1993
Mad over you 1994
Why can't we take a chance 1994
Give me the night 1996
Cajun moon 1996
Forget me nots 1996
Bye bye 1998
Silence 1998
Breaking down 1998
Are you sure ? 1998
Captain of her heart 1998
Wishing on a star 1998
2000s Decade :
I'll be around 2000
Fire and rain 2000
Unwounded 2000
Merry go round 2000
Permanent 2001
Feeling good 2006
Rio De Janeiro Blue 2006
Angel of the morning 2008
Just one smile 2008
Tracks :
1972...the very first steps of young Veronica. A first title to embark on the adventure and learn the profession as they say...
1977...she will have to wait 5 more years and this year 1977 to see her career officially launched. But this time it's definitely gone...
1977...an official career launch which is done more discreetly than anything else for the moment. Afterwards you have to give time...
1977...a year 1977 which will at least allow her to show that she exists while waiting for better. And the best will inevitably happen at one point or another...
1979...the end of the decade which rhymes with a luxury cover on this revisited version of Brook Benton's title dating from 1959. Good work but not enough to change the situation at this stage...
1979...then comes THIS title ! The title of a lifetime, the kind that propels you to completely unexpected levels of fame and fortune and which also offers a direct ticket to posterity. MAS-TER-FUL !
1980...impossible for this title to compete with its predecessor as the bar was set so high. A descent from the mountain that was violent to say the least...
1980...it must be said that the rise was so meteoric that it was predictable that what followed would inevitably be complicated to manage. The proof...
1980...afterwards she still managed to rank the titles, certainly at minor levels, but still. It's already that...
1980...this one will go somewhat under the radar but that does not call into question for the moment the rest of her career, far from it...
1981...we find her in soundtrack mode at the start of 1981 with this participation in the soundtrack of the film 'The Competition'. Good job as usual...
1981...good work but it doesn't pay more than that in this year 1981. We feel her somewhat struggling at the start of the 80s...
1981...the rest will be a little more favorable to her but not in the United States paradoxically. Here she delivers what will undoubtedly remain one of her most emblematic titles and reminds anyone who will listen that she has talent to spare !
1981...the improvement in the Charts is confirmed with this new title. It must be said that the quality of the titles she delivers necessarily contributes to this...
1981...new cover of a title by Brook Benton this time a title dating from 1969. A know-how in Intimist which is confirmed title after title and which proves with certainty that this musical field suits her wonderfully ...
1981...a last title which will go unnoticed but once again without any real consequence on the rest of the events...
1982...there she squarely tackles one of John Lennon's most emblematic titles dating from 1971. A really daring bet but partly successful all the same given the success achieved in the Charts by her revisited version...
1982...a year 1982 which saw her return to the race in a certain way. Not sure it will last very long but what is taken is no longer to be taken...
1982...return to the race, furtive to say the least, with a clearly less favorable sequence of events. Hard law of the trade...
1982...one could have imagined that the association with Al Jarreau would produce sparks but unfortunately they were only very slight...
1983... in any case she still manages to classify her titles at a minimum which cannot encourage her to continue the adventure a little further...
1983...it is clear that the best years are already behind but what she continues to produce is far from unworthy, that's clear...
1983...and the public is not mistaken since they continue to follow her at a minimum. No need to worry at this stage regarding her so...
1984...new combination of shock and charm on this new title. But as before, it won't bring her more than that...
1986...here she begins a second part of the 80s which will see her struggle somewhat even if we cannot speak of the end of the adventure...
1986...she finds it increasingly difficult to position herself in relation to the competition. A competition that is seriously starting to get ahead...
1986... increasingly poorly classified titles, others which go unnoticed like this one, in short all the lights are turning orange...
1986...new duo which will not do better than those who preceded it. Too bad because she nevertheless has a more than obvious desire to do well...
1986...she will save the furniture a little with this title but only across the Channel. After all, it's better than nothing at all...
1987...another title that will go under the radar. Nothing is going well on the Crawford planet and the singer will really have to ask herself the right questions about what to do next in the adventure...
1989...we will find her at the very end of the decade on this revisited version of Bob Dylan's legendary title dating from 1973. It must be said that on this title she is particularly well surrounded...
1990...the success achieved by her previous title will suddenly pump her up and allow her to move on to the next decade without worrying too much about the future...
1990...the start of the 90s which saw her a little more inspired than before, which is reflected somewhat in the level of success achieved in the Charts...
1990...we're not going to talk about a return to grace, of course, but it's clear that the wind is more favorable to her than in the second part of the 1980s...
1991...new duo of shock and charm this time with Zucchero. Associations have been much more successful for some time and this one won't stop...
1992...she decides to revisit here the Journey title dating from 1981. A revisited version which will have difficulty competing with the original, especially on the Charts side...
1992...despite this slight improvement at the start of the decade, more and more titles go unnoticed like this one. Attention danger...
1992...a decline in performance which does not mean the end of the adventure, far from it. As long as she manages to classify a minimum of titles, there's no reason to panic more than that, at least that's what she tells herself...
1992...and in principle she is right even if this drop in performance should not be underestimated. The proof once again with this title which will also go under the radar...
1993...she still manages to rank at least 1 title each year. The essential is preserved but for how much longer...
1994...especially since this new year 1994 is not going to be the most favorable on the Charts side with 2 titles which will also go under the radar...
1994...she will have to ask herself the right questions and quickly, otherwise the exit door risks opening faster than expected...
1996...it is this revisited version of Georges Benson's emblematic title which will allow her to escape at the last minute. We came close to the worst...
1996...fortunately the albums continue to sell well, which allows her to at least counterbalance the poor performance on the Singles side...
1996...because we're not going to lie, the best years are now behind her. Afterwards, as long as her motivation remains intact there is always reason to hope...
1998...nothing in 1997 and return in this year 1998 in a form that we would describe as average. Average because very few titles will be popular with the public...
1998...but that doesn't stop her from continuing to produce quality titles like this one. Let's hope she continues like this for a long time...
1998...we still have to remember that she started her career in 1972, which is starting to be quite a few years all the same...
1998...only the most talented of each generation exceed 25 years of career. It now remains to be seen whether she intends to move on to the next decade and especially with what musical project...
1998...after revisiting Patrice Rushen's 'Forget me nots', she decided to cover here the flagship title of Double dating from 1985. Covers which hardly earned her...
1998...which does not discourage her from resuming the flagship title of Rose Royce dating from 1978 with the same result as for her previous covers unfortunately...
2000...and 4 with this new title, a cover of The Spinners' title from 1972. She really needs to stop with the covers because it harms her more than it earns her, that's clear...
2000... nothing stops her from continuing to believe in it in any case. And as long as she enjoys what she does, why throw in the towel at this point...
2000...even if today's success no longer has anything to do with what she experienced before, what she continues to produce is far from being without interest, that's clear...
2000...with each title we say to ourselves that it may be the last and each time she returns with the firm intention of not giving up until the end...
2001...and on the principle who would blame her because we know well that in music everything is always possible and that a return to the front of the stage can never be ruled out...
2006...we lost sight of her for almost 5 years but here she is again. A return that she prefers to combine with 2...
2006...even at 2 she won't be able to reverse the trend but she will at least have tried. Isn't the most important thing to always believe in miracles...
2008...it will certainly not take place but she will have believed in it until the end. A career of which she can be proud and which will have made her one of the leading artists of her generation...
2008...so last title or not ? The future will tell us but as in music nothing is ever finished, who knows...
Wiki :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :