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Marlena Shaw, ‘California Soul’ Singer, Dies at 81
Marlena Shaw, the soul and jazz vocalist known for her hits "California Soul" and "Woman of the Ghetto," has died. She was 81.
She released two albums with the music label’s subsidiary Cadet Records: 1967’s “Out of Different Bags” and 1969’s “The Spice of Life,” which featured the popular tracks “California Soul” and “Woman of the Ghetto.” “California Soul,” which was written by Ashford & Simpson, was heavily sampled by other artists and appeared in multiple TV commercials. The singer’s other albums released on the Blue Note label include “From the Depths of My Soul” (1973), “Marlena Shaw Live at Montreux” (1974), “Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?” (1975) and “Just a Matter of Time” (1976). In 1977, Shaw released the LP “Sweet Beginnings” on Columbia Records, which contained the tracks “Yu Ma / Go Away Little Boy” and “Look at Me, Look at You.”
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