Died On This Date (April 27, 2000) Vicki Sue Robinson / Disco Great
themusicsover Vicki Sue Robinson
May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000
Vicki Sue Robinson had many accomplishments in music, theater and film, but it would be her smash it “Turn The Beat Around” that would forever make her a disco queen. Her life as an entertainer began at age six when she joined her mother on stage at the storied Philadelphia Folk Festival. At sixteen she was on Broadway as a cast member of Hair. She landed a couple of film roles, most notably Going Home and To Find A Man and by 1973, she was performing in the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Then in 1975, while singing backing vocals on a friend’s album, she was offered a contract with RCA Records. 1976 saw the release of her debut, Never Gonna Let You Go, that included the smash hit, “Turn The Beat Around.” The album went to number one on the Billboard pop charts and earned Robinson a Grammy nomination. Robinson’s career continued to flourish through early 2000, but she never matched the success of that first album. Besides making her own records, her later years found her doing plenty of session work as well as acting on film and stage. And of course, “Turn The Beat Around” continued to find new audiences thanks to a popular cover by Gloria Estefan and from Robinson’s live appearances on the disco revival circuit. Robinson died from cancer on April 27, 2000 at just 46.
What You Should Own
Lisa Lopes was part of the Grammy winning R&B singing trio TLC, and was on her way to super-stardom when her life was tragically cut short at the age of 30. TLC hit huge in 1992 with the release of Ooooooohhh…On The TLC Tip which sold in the neighborhood of six million copies. They followed that up with the 15 million-selling CrazySexyCool. By 1999, TLC albums had sold upwards of 30 million units, easily making them one of the most successful female groups of all time. In the early 2000s, Lopes was off on a solo career, guest rapping on several hit records while working on her own solo debut which came out in 2001. But in the spring of 2002, Lopes was taking a break from working on her second solo album as well as TLC’s fourth album by visiting Honduras. On April 25, Lopes was killed when the SUV she was driving rolled several times after swerving to miss another car. Lopes was thrown from the vehicle and died from injuries she sustained.
Nina Simone was a vocalist whose style defied categorization. She might have been a jazz singer to one, but another would call her soul. To another, gospel, and yet to another, R&B. but above all, she was just great, having been nominated for a Grammy 15 times. With over 40 studio and live albums to her credit, and as a civil rights activist, she made an indelible contribution to African-American culture. Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys have all cited her as a major influence. Simone passed away in her home on April 21, 2003 after a long illness.
Benny Benjamin was the primary drummer for famed Motown session group, the Funk Brothers. Along with