Laura Nyro born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) and New York Tendaberry (1969), and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and the 5th Dimension recording her songs. Wider recognition for her artistry was posthumous while her contemporaries such as Elton John idolized her. She was praised for her strong emotive vocal style and 3-octave mezzo-soprano vocal range.
Between 1968 and 1970, a number of artists had hits with her songs: The 5th Dimension with "Blowing Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", and "Save the Country"; Blood, Sweat & Tears and Peter, Paul and Mary with "And When I Die"; Three Dog Night and Maynard Ferguson with "Eli's Comin'"; and Barbra Streisand with "Stoney End", "Time and Love", and "Hands off the Man (Flim Flam Man)". Nyro's best-selling single was her recording of Carole King's and Gerry Goffin's "Up on the Roof".
Nyro was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
AllMusic:
During the singer/songwriter movement in the late '60s and early '70s, Laura Nyro was one of the most celebrated tunesmiths of her day, penning soulful, literate songs that took the folky introspection of her peers and infused it with elements of soul, R&B, jazz, and gospel, giving them an emotional heat that set her apart. Nyro was a well-respected recording artist, whose confident piano work and rich, expressive vocals made albums like 1968's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and 1969's New York Tendaberry classics, and she demonstrated how powerfully classic R&B and girl group material had influenced her on the all-covers set Gonna Take a Miracle, recorded in tandem with Labelle. However, while she made great records, Nyro's passionate style was considered too idiosyncratic for the Top 40, and her songs were better known in versions recorded by other artists; the 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Peter, Paul & Mary all scored hit singles with her material. Nyro's frustrations with her lack of success as a performer, coupled with her desire to maintain her privacy, led to her periodically retiring from recording and performing, but latter-day efforts like 1984's Mother's Spiritual and 1993's Walk the Dog and Light the Light revealed she was still a compelling singer and pianist, while her social, political, and environmental concerns pushed her lyrics in new directions.
Recordings
 |
| More Than A New Discovery (1967) / The First Songs (1973) |
| Released | February 1967 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | Nos. 4, 7: July 13, 1966 Nos. 1-3, 5-6, 8-12: November 29, 1966 |
| Studio | Bell Sound Studios, New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 36:15 |
| Label | Verve Folkways |
| Producer | Milton Okun |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye Joe" | 2:38 |
| 2. | "Billy's Blues" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "And When I Die" | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Stoney End" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Lazy Susan" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Hands Off the Man" (later known as "Flim Flam Man") | 2:29 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wedding Bell Blues" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Buy and Sell" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "He's a Runner" | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Blowin' Away" | 2:23 |
| 5. | "I Never Meant to Hurt You" | 2:52 |
| 6. | "California Shoeshine Boys" | 2:45 |
- Laura Nyro - guitar, keyboards, vocals, songwriter
- Jay Berliner - guitar
- Stan Free - piano
- Bill LaVorgna - drums
- Buddy Lucas - harmonica
- Lou Mauro - double bass
- James Sedlar - French horn
- Herb Bernstein - arranger, conductor, flugelhorn
The First Songs:
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wedding Bell Blues" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Billy's Blues" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "California Shoeshine Boys" | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Blowin' Away" | 2:23 |
| 5. | "Lazy Susan" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Goodbye Joe" | 2:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flim Flam Man" | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Stoney End" | 2:46 |
| 3. | "I Never Meant to Hurt You" | 2:56 |
| 4. | "He's a Runner" | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Buy and Sell" | 3:38 |
| 6. | "And When I Die" | 2:40 |
Wikipedia
AllMusic:
 |
| Eli And The Thirteenth Confession (1968) |
Considered by many to be Nyro's best album, this was recorded when she was still a bit raw from her experience at Monterey.
| Released | March 13, 1968 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January–February 1968 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 46:15 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Luckie" | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Lu" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Sweet Blindness" | 2:37 |
| 4. | "Poverty Train" | 4:16 |
| 5. | "Lonely Women" | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Eli's Comin'" | 3:58 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Timer" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Stoned Soul Picnic" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Emmie" | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Woman's Blues" | 3:46 |
| 11. | "Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)" | 2:58 |
| 12. | "December's Boudoir" | 5:05 |
| 13. | "The Confession" | 2:50 |
- Laura Nyro – piano, keyboards, vocal, harmonies, "witness to the confession"
- Ralph Casale, Chet Amsterdam – acoustic guitar
- Hugh McCracken – electric guitar
- Chuck Rainey, Chet Amsterdam – bass
- Artie Schroeck – drums, vibes
- Buddy Saltzman – drums
- Dave Carey – percussion
- Bernie Glow, Pat Calello, Ernie Royal – trumpet
- George Young, Zoot Sims – saxophone
- Wayne Andre, Jimmy Cleveland, Ray DeSio – trombone
- Joe Farrell – saxophone, flute
- Paul Griffin – piano on "Eli's Comin'" and "Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)"
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
 |
| New York Tenderberry (1969) |
| Released | September 24, 1969 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | September 1968–July 1969 in New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 46:15 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Don't Love Me When I Cry" | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Captain for Dark Mornings" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Tom Cat Goodbye" | 5:32 |
| 4. | "Mercy on Broadway" | 2:18 |
| 5. | "Save the Country" | 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Gibsom Street" | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Time and Love" | 4:24 |
| 8. | "The Man Who Sends Me Home" | 2:52 |
| 9. | "Sweet Lovin' Baby" | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Captain Saint Lucifer" | 3:17 |
| 11. | "New York Tendaberry" | 5:33 |
Wikipedia
 |
| Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat (1970) |
The opening song reminds me so much of Todd Rundgren. Rundgren has acknowledged her influence, and later produced her.
| Released | November 25, 1970 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | May 1970 in New York City |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 44:55 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer |
- Side one
- "Brown Earth" - 4:09
- "When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag" - 2:42
- "Blackpatch" - 3:33
- "Been on a Train" - 5:49
- "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 3:13
- Side two
- "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp" - 5:34
- "Map to the Treasure" - 8:08
- "Beads of Sweat" - 4:47
- "Christmas in My Soul" - 7:00
- Laura Nyro – piano, vocals, arrangements
- Additional musicians on side one
- Barry Beckett – vibraphone
- Felix Cavaliere – organ, bells, producer
- Roger Hawkins – drums
- Eddie Hinton – electric guitar
- David Hood – bass
- Jack Jennings – percussion
- Stuart Scharf – acoustic guitar
Wikipedia
 |
| Gonna Take A Miracle (1971) |
| Released | November 17, 1971 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | May – June 1971 |
| Studio | Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genre | Soul |
| Length | 33:05 (Original) 41:46 (2002 Reissue) |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer | Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff |
- "I Met Him on a Sunday" (Doris Jackson, Addie Harris McPherson, Beverly Lee, Shirley Alston Reeves) – 1:55
- "The Bells" (Marvin Gaye, Anna Gordy Gaye, Iris Gordy, Elgie Stover) – 2:56
- "Monkey Time/Dancing in the Street" (Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter, William "Mickey" Stevenson) – 4:57
- "Désiree" (L.Z. Cooper, Danny Johnson) – 1:52
- "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson) – 4:07
- "Spanish Harlem" (Jerry Leiber, Phil Spector) – 2:52
- "Jimmy Mack" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:56
- "The Wind" (Devora Brown, Bob Edwards, Nolan Strong) – 2:58
- "Nowhere to Run" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 5:08
- "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" (Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, Lou Stallman) – 3:24
- Live bonus tracks on 2002 CD reissue
- "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson – 0:59
- "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler) – 3:01
- "O-o-h Child" (Stan Vincent) – 1:30
- "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 3:11
Wikipedia
1976 – Smile
1977 – Season of Lights (reissued and remastered, 2008)
1978 – Nested (reissued and remastered, 2008)
1984 – Mother's Spiritual
1989 – Laura: Live at the Bottom Line (recorded NYC, summer, 1988)
2001 – Angel in the Dark (posthumous album recorded 1994–1995)
Discography
- 1967 – More Than a New Discovery (later reissued as The First Songs)
- 1968 – Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (reissued and remastered with bonus tracks, 2002, Columbia) US No. 181
- 1969 – New York Tendaberry (reissued and remastered with bonus tracks, 2002, Columbia) US No. 32
- 1970 – Christmas and the Beads of Sweat March 2008 – BMG Sony (US division)
- 1971 – Gonna Take a Miracle (with Labelle) (reissued and remastered with bonus tracks, 2002, Columbia)
- 1976 – Smile
- 1978 – Nested (reissued and remastered, 2008)
- 1984 – Mother's Spiritual
- 1993 – Walk the Dog and Light the Light
- 2001 – Angel in the Dark (posthumous album recorded 1994–1995)
Live albums
- 1977 – Season of Lights (reissued and remastered, 2008)
- 1989 – Laura: Live at the Bottom Line (recorded NYC, summer, 1988)
- 2000 – Live from Mountain Stage (recorded for radio program on November 11, 1990)
- 2002 – Live: The Loom's Desire (featuring the 1993 and 1994 Christmas Eve shows recorded at New York's Bottom Line)
- 2003 – Live in Japan (recorded live at Kintetsu Hall, Osaka, Japan on February 22, 1994)
- 2004 – Spread Your Wings and Fly: Live at the Fillmore East (May 30, 1971)
- 2013 – Live at Carnegie Hall: The Classic 1976 Radio Broadcast
Compilation albums
- 1969 – The First Songs (reissue of the 1967 Verve album)
- 1972 – Laura Nyro sings her Greatest Hits (Japan only)
- 1973 – The First Songs (Columbia Records reissue of the 1967 Verve album)
- 1980 – Impressions
- 1997 – Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro (reissued 2011 as The Essential Laura Nyro, Sony Music)
- 1999 – Premium Best Collection-Laura Nyro (Japan only)
- 2000 – Time and Love: The Essential Masters
- 2006 – Laura Nyro-Collections (Sony Europe)
- 2017 -- A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection (Real Gone Music)
Links
* LauraNyro
* BestEverAlbums
* Discogs
* Monterey Pop 1967
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