Sunday, April 08, 2018

Laura Nyro

photo from Biography.com

Laura Nyro died on this date in 1997 of ovarian cancer. She was 49. The Rolling Stone obituary opened with this:
Laura Nyro, one of the most important female singer/songwriters of the '60s and '70s, died Tuesday at her Danbury, Conn., home at the age of 49 due to complications from ovarian cancer. Best known for such classics as "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "And When I Die," "Stoney End" and "Eli's Comin,'" Nyro influenced peers and generations to come with her poetic lyrics, emotional vocal style and free-form compositions that drew on gospel and soul.
Singer, songwriter, pianist, she is a joy to listen to and a personal favorite. Enjoy:

You can listen to the first album I ever had and her debut album -The First Songs- here at this Youtube link. There's a Laura Nyro station on Pandora and on Google Play.

You can listen to Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro below from Spotify:



According to Wikipedia, the Stoned Soul Picnic album was "the last album Nyro released during her lifetime, and she died from ovarian cancer less than two months after its release" and "the most comprehensive overview of her work to date." Such a loss! It makes me cry. Her voice is so warm and lovely.

Her second album was Eli and the Thirteenth Confession:



Also via Spotify is New York Tendaberry, her third album:

11 comments:

  1. I thought I was familiar with music from this era but I haven't heard of Laura Nyro. I've heard these songs by other artists-but it is sad because she sure could sing. She was way too young to die. Thanks for sharing-Hugs-Erika

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    1. Her work was widely covered, and I think most people are more familiar with the covers. She did have a lovely voice, didn't she!

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  2. Never heard of her, but she sounds wonderful. Will put her on my Spotify-list - thanks for making me aware! :-)

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    1. I discovered her in 1973 when her debut album was re-released. I listened to that album countless times during my college years. I'm glad you like her :)

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  3. Didn't know her or her songs yet - thank you for introducing me to her!

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    1. I hope you like her. She was very influential to a generation of music.

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  4. Such a loss! Her voice is so lovely and she is such a joy to listen too 😀. Thanks for highlighting her life and music in your post and wishing you a wonderful new week! J 😊 x

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    1. Isn't her voice lovely! And she was a brilliant songwriter. Sad to lose her so young :(

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  5. I look forward to listening to this songs, paying tribute to her talent. Far too many people are taken far too early from this insidious disease & ovarian cancer still remains one of the harder ones to detect.

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    1. And her mother dying of the same disease at the same age and they still couldn't catch it. It's a tragedy :( She did leave a legacy I'll always treasure.

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  6. How tragic:(
    what a talent!

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