Tasha Thomas(1950-1984)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
70s soul singer. Tasha's father was a chemist with the Atomic Energy Commission and her mother a
Pentecostal minister. Music played an important part in Tasha's
formative years, singing and playing the organ at her mother's church.
By her teen years she knew she wanted to make music her life's passion.
She left home at age 16 and traveled about until ending up in New York
City. There she again found a church for guidance and a spiritual
environment to sing. When her church choir was asked to record on
Louis Armstrong's final album,
"What a Wonderful World", Tasha suddenly opened to the idea of
expanding her repertoire to include secular music.
Tasha broke through as a background vocalist and, between the years
1970 to 1978, sang on over 100 albums, including
Stevie Wonder's classic "Innervision". Her
rich, vocals ignited the backgrounds of various singing icons ranging
from the pop stylings of
Petula Clark,
Jim Croce ,
Roberta Flack,
Bette Midler,
Bonnie Raitt,
Carly Simon and
Cat Stevens, to the jazzier groove of
B.B. King,
Little Esther Phillips and
Grover Washington Jr.. She also
made a minor Broadway debut as a singer/dancer in "The Selling of the
President" in 1972 starring Pat Hingle,
Barbara Barrie and
Karen Morrow, which closed after
only five performances.
Tasha grew to become a semi-name in prominent jazz clubs in and around
New York's uptown circuit. Her biggest break, however, came on the
Broadway musical stage when she answered an open casting call for black
performers and won the role of "Aunt Em" (she was only 24!) for the
upcoming Broadway-bound musical "The Wiz". A hip, soulful re-telling of
the classic "Wizard of Oz" story, the 1975 hit show opens with Tasha's
heartfelt rendition of "The Feeling We Once Had," which garnered praise
and stellar reviews. The show, which featured another jazz artist
Dee Dee Bridgewater (as "Glinda")
and made a star out of vibrant young vocalist
Stephanie Anne Mills (as Dorothy),
ran for 1,672 performances. Tasha also understudied the part of the
wicked Evillene character played by
Mabel King before leaving the show.
In 1978, the disco era was in full tilt. Based on her distinctive vocal
stylings and (now) Broadway name, Tasha managed to sign with Orbit
Records and released the dance club single "Shoot Me (With Your Love)"
which was promoted by Atlantic Records. Her solo album "Midnight
Rendezvous", in which she provided her own background vocals, came out
the following year. Two other disco-flavored semi-hits resulted with
the release of her album -- "Hot Buttered Boogie" and "Street Fever".
During this peak she performed on a number of TV music-based programs
("The Merv Griffin Show", "Dance Fever").
On an interesting note, the ill-conceived film version of
The Wiz (1978) came out during this time.
Once they decided to replace the wondrous innocence of
Stephanie Anne Mills with an adult
neurotic version in the form of
Diana Ross (who at 34 years sorely
lacked the powerhouse voice needed for the role), Tasha was not even
considered as Ross was already a good 6 years older. Matronly-looking
Theresa Merritt, who took over the part
of Evillene earlier on Broadway, played Aunt Em. In retrospect, it was
probably a blessing as the film was a critical and commercial bomb.
By the time Tasha was dropped from Atlantic, the disco-era had worn out
its welcome and the forward momentum of her career suddenly shifted
backwards. She returned gamely to her old stomping grounds of
background singing while awaiting her next break. A second album never
came to be. In 1980 she provided choral arrangements for the
short-lived Broadway musical "It's So Nice to Be Civilized".
In the early 1980s, the 30+ year-old Tasha was tragically diagnosed
with cancer. After a courageous battle, she succumbed to the disease on
November 8, 1984 at age 34. As in the case of singer
Minnie Riperton, whose early death from
breast cancer in 1979 was a similar heartbreak, there is no telling how
far this gifted performer could have gone -- as an actress as well as
jazz/pop/soul singer. Thankfully, Tasha's couple of dance tunes and
especially her touching vocals on the original Broadway album of "The
Wiz" remain for us to ponder...and cherish.
Pentecostal minister. Music played an important part in Tasha's
formative years, singing and playing the organ at her mother's church.
By her teen years she knew she wanted to make music her life's passion.
She left home at age 16 and traveled about until ending up in New York
City. There she again found a church for guidance and a spiritual
environment to sing. When her church choir was asked to record on
Louis Armstrong's final album,
"What a Wonderful World", Tasha suddenly opened to the idea of
expanding her repertoire to include secular music.
Tasha broke through as a background vocalist and, between the years
1970 to 1978, sang on over 100 albums, including
Stevie Wonder's classic "Innervision". Her
rich, vocals ignited the backgrounds of various singing icons ranging
from the pop stylings of
Petula Clark,
Jim Croce ,
Roberta Flack,
Bette Midler,
Bonnie Raitt,
Carly Simon and
Cat Stevens, to the jazzier groove of
B.B. King,
Little Esther Phillips and
Grover Washington Jr.. She also
made a minor Broadway debut as a singer/dancer in "The Selling of the
President" in 1972 starring Pat Hingle,
Barbara Barrie and
Karen Morrow, which closed after
only five performances.
Tasha grew to become a semi-name in prominent jazz clubs in and around
New York's uptown circuit. Her biggest break, however, came on the
Broadway musical stage when she answered an open casting call for black
performers and won the role of "Aunt Em" (she was only 24!) for the
upcoming Broadway-bound musical "The Wiz". A hip, soulful re-telling of
the classic "Wizard of Oz" story, the 1975 hit show opens with Tasha's
heartfelt rendition of "The Feeling We Once Had," which garnered praise
and stellar reviews. The show, which featured another jazz artist
Dee Dee Bridgewater (as "Glinda")
and made a star out of vibrant young vocalist
Stephanie Anne Mills (as Dorothy),
ran for 1,672 performances. Tasha also understudied the part of the
wicked Evillene character played by
Mabel King before leaving the show.
In 1978, the disco era was in full tilt. Based on her distinctive vocal
stylings and (now) Broadway name, Tasha managed to sign with Orbit
Records and released the dance club single "Shoot Me (With Your Love)"
which was promoted by Atlantic Records. Her solo album "Midnight
Rendezvous", in which she provided her own background vocals, came out
the following year. Two other disco-flavored semi-hits resulted with
the release of her album -- "Hot Buttered Boogie" and "Street Fever".
During this peak she performed on a number of TV music-based programs
("The Merv Griffin Show", "Dance Fever").
On an interesting note, the ill-conceived film version of
The Wiz (1978) came out during this time.
Once they decided to replace the wondrous innocence of
Stephanie Anne Mills with an adult
neurotic version in the form of
Diana Ross (who at 34 years sorely
lacked the powerhouse voice needed for the role), Tasha was not even
considered as Ross was already a good 6 years older. Matronly-looking
Theresa Merritt, who took over the part
of Evillene earlier on Broadway, played Aunt Em. In retrospect, it was
probably a blessing as the film was a critical and commercial bomb.
By the time Tasha was dropped from Atlantic, the disco-era had worn out
its welcome and the forward momentum of her career suddenly shifted
backwards. She returned gamely to her old stomping grounds of
background singing while awaiting her next break. A second album never
came to be. In 1980 she provided choral arrangements for the
short-lived Broadway musical "It's So Nice to Be Civilized".
In the early 1980s, the 30+ year-old Tasha was tragically diagnosed
with cancer. After a courageous battle, she succumbed to the disease on
November 8, 1984 at age 34. As in the case of singer
Minnie Riperton, whose early death from
breast cancer in 1979 was a similar heartbreak, there is no telling how
far this gifted performer could have gone -- as an actress as well as
jazz/pop/soul singer. Thankfully, Tasha's couple of dance tunes and
especially her touching vocals on the original Broadway album of "The
Wiz" remain for us to ponder...and cherish.