Born Marybelle Luraine Ellison, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ellison originally sang with two gospel groups, the Ellison Singers and the Golden Chords, before moving to R&B in 1964. Her first chart entry was with a cover of Jerry Butler's "I Dig You Baby" in 1965, on Mercury Records. Ellison also recorded "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)", a song later covered to more success by Janis Joplin.
She signed with Warner Bros. Records, and in 1966 recorded the soul classic "Stay with Me" at a last minute booking, following a studio cancellation by Frank Sinatra. "Stay with Me" reached number 11 in the U.S. R&B chart and number 64 in the pop chart. The song was written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy. Later releases were on the subsidiary soul music record label, Loma. Her follow-up single was "Heart Be Still" a minor hit in 1967.
Twice-married and using the surname Gonzalez-Keys, Lorraine Ellison gave up the music business in order to take care of her mother, before her death in January 1983 from ovarian cancer at the age of 51.
更多>