Gayle McCormick

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Gayle McCormick
File:Gayle McCormick - Smith (1970).png
McCormick in 1970
Background information
Born(1948-11-26)November 26, 1948
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 2016(2016-03-01) (aged 67)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Genres
OccupationSinger
Years active1965–1976

Gayle McCormick (November 26, 1948 – March 1, 2016) was an American singer, best known for her work with the rock band Smith. Her recording and performing career stretched from 1965 to 1976.

Early life

She was born Gayle Annette to Richard and Ethel McCormick, who had an older son, Michael (b. 1945).[1] Gayle attended Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri and sang high soprano with the Suburb Choir, a 150-voice unit that performed annually with the St. Louis Symphony.[2] She was influenced by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Tina Turner, especially the latter artist.[3]

The Klassmen

Smith

File:Smith (1970).png
Gayle McCormick (in the middle of the back row) as part of Smith in 1970

Solo career

After the group Smith disbanded, Gayle McCormick recorded three solo albums. Many of her songs were penned by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who also produced Gayle McCormick, her debut album of mostly covers. This platter was released in 1971 on ABC Dunhill, the same label as the contemporary sensation Three Dog Night. To support this record, McCormick took her touring group, billed as the Underhand Band, on the road across North America. McCormick's outfit opened for Three Dog Night.[4] Gayle confessed that she intentionally shed her 'Smith' image (even though her new band routinely performed "Baby It's You"). She stated that felt more confident as a solo artist, being able to choose her own material. "I pick songs that I can feel and put myself into," McCormick told a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter. While she did not envision herself singing professionally in another twenty years, she was enjoying herself on the road.[5] On the radio, Gayle's performance of Lambert and Potter's "It's a Cryin' Shame" charted at a modest #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 but later became a top 10 hit on the new Adult Contemporary chart. It was covered in 1976 by Cher. McCormick also recorded an American Bandstand video for "It's a Cryin' Shame." Her follow-up single, "You Really Got a Hold on Me," barely scraped the Billboard Hot 100 at #98. Another single, "C'est La Vie," failed to generate any chart activity. McCormick recorded a version of "Superstar" at around the same time as Carpenters recorded their major hit. McCormick admitted her first album was something of a "downer...Most of the songs, well, just weren't my kind of material," she said. "But I did it because it was a single album and...I needed that. Now, I know what I want to do." She hinted that her next releases would move away from the "bubble-gum" of her first single and fully embrace the R&B style she greatly preferred.[6] Gayle McCormick recorded her second album on a new label, Decca/MCA at Bolic Sound Studios in early 1972.[3] Jay Lasker of Dunhill had dropped McCormick from his label for lack of sales. Grousing about the recent trend of "singing broads," Lasker implied that he had expected Gayle McCormick's debut to perform as well as Carole King's. "It just didn't work out," he bluntly told the Philadelphia Enquirer in 1972.[7] However, Gayle McCormick continued to work with manager Burt Jacobs, the same manager as Three Dog Night.[8] Flesh & Blood, Gayle's new package of R&B-influenced tunes, was perhaps her strongest offering, with generally positive reviews in the U.S. and Canada. It was co-produced by Tom Thacker and Joe Schermie, former bassist for Three Dog Night.[9] The LP cover featured McCormick in tight cutoffs and a form-fitting top, capitalizing on the chiefly male appeal she was receiving at this time. Gayle co-wrote "Take Me Back," the opening track on Flesh & Blood, and she had more creative control over her material. Frank Collette of the Underhand Band recorded most of the keyboards, with contributions from Gary Stephens and Eddie Beyer. Stan Seymore played guitar, Maurice Miller handled the drums, and Ray Neapolitan served as bassist. In addition, the multi-instrumentalist Don Menza played and arranged the "McCormick Horns" section with Chuck Findley (trumpet and trombone), Slyde Hyde (additional trombones), and Sam Falzone (tenor saxophone). After two big commercial disappointments in the top 40 arena, McCormick changed music labels once again in 1973, this time to Fantasy Records. She continued to tour sporadically, sharing one date with the ascendant Stevie Wonder in El Paso.[10] Ultimately, Gayle drifted toward the Easy Listening and Country and Western spheres, releasing the album One More Hour on Fantasy in 1974. Reviews were sparse in comparison with her earlier music, but still somewhat favorable. Like its predecessor, "Hour" failed to chart despite a spirited cover of "Original Midnight Mama," which echoed her first love of R&B music.[11] For her final efforts at Top 40 airplay, McCormick recorded two dance-rock tracks, "Coming in Out of the Rain" and "Simon Said," for a 1975 45 single on the Shady Brook label. McCormick also contributed backing vocals to Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade's Waylon Jennings-produced 1976 self-titled Capitol LP, from which the single "Ladies Love Outlaws" was drawn.[12] At this time, she covered "Torn Between Two Lovers," first made popular by Mary MacGregor.

Personal life

Final years

After leaving professional music, Gayle McCormick returned home to St. Ann, Missouri and pursued a quiet career in retail and information technology. She never remarried or had any children. Gayle did not resume her singing career. She later cited burnout from the atmosphere of alcohol and drugs shared by many musicians, both of which she ultimately rejected; she was a lifelong smoker. Gayle stayed very close to her mother Ethel until her death in 2010.[13]

References

  1. 1950 U.S. Federal Census. St. Louis, Missouri, 95-44.
  2. Jancik, Wayne, "The Billboard book of one-hit wonders", Billboard Books, 1998, ISBN 978-0823076222.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Leitheiser, Kevin (December 1982). In Conversation With Gayle McCormick (79 ed.). Goldmine Magazine. p. 7.
  4. "Three Dog Night Devotees Can't Take It Sitting Down," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 November 1971, 34; "Three Dog Night's Harmony," Star-Phoenix of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 15 December 1971, 46.
  5. "Gayle Is A Combination Of Brains, Beauty, and Talent," The Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 November 1971, 26.
  6. "Three Dog Night Devotees Can't Take It Sitting Down," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 November 1971, 34; "Gayle McCormick A Solo and Enjoying It," The Los Angeles Times, 16 November 1971, 68.
  7. John Weisman, "Records: A Trend Is a Matter of Hindsight," The Philadelphia Enquirer, 8 October 1972, 247.
  8. Rich Zitrin, "Singing Next For Quarry," The Akron Beacon-Journal, 15 June 1972, 63.
  9. The Pittsburgh Press, 22 April 1973, 126.
  10. The El Paso Prospector, 18 January 1973, 19.
  11. Allen Maculay, "'Pure Music' Is Knockout," The Record, 19 November 1974; Will Smith, "New Sounds," Omaha World-Herald, 6 December 1974, 8.
  12. Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade, Capitol Records ST-11491
  13. King, Jonnie. "WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL JONNIE KING WEBSITE!". Jonnieking.net. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.