Singer
Gloria Lynne was discovered in 1958 by Raymond Scott, who signed her to her first recording contract that same year. Scott produced her debut album,
Miss Gloria Lynne, for
Everest Records, a label for which he briefly served as A&R director. The musicians on Lynne's album were many of the same session aces from Scott's
Secret 7 project.
Lynne died of heart failure at age 83 on October 8. An
obit in the October 18
New York Times describes the rough times she faced when her career went into decline. She had one major hit, "
I Wish You Love," in 1964, and it became her signature tune. (Scott produced only her debut album.)
In the
Miss Gloria Lynne liner notes by jazz scholar
Nat Hentoff, Scott was quoted on the magnitude of her talent and strengths:
"Overall, she has a sincerity and power. She's been based in gospel
music and she also has a jazz talent, and this is the first chance she's had to
sing with a swinging group. As for her vocal resources, she's at a stage at her
beginning that most people don't reach until the middle or end of their
careers. She's extremely warm and she can tell a story. She's young and fresh
and should have a remarkable future."
For Lynne's debut, Scott recruited Harry "Sweets"
Edison (trumpet), Sam "The Man" Taylor (piano), Eddie Costa (vibes),
"Wild Bill" Davis (organ), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Milton Hinton
(bass), George Duvivier (bass), Tom Bryant (bass), and Jo Jones (drums). All except
the last three were part of Scott's Secret 7.
