She was on Valium during the ceremony, because of her nerves. Kristofferson was a heavy drinker who at one point consumed “a quart of vodka a day.” He arrived, late and stoned, to his 1974 wedding to Coolidge in Malibu. He won’t be be eligible for parole until 2018. In 1983, Gordon stabbed his mother to death. Jim Gordon, her former boyfriend and the drummer in Delaney & Bonnie and the Eric Clapton-led Derek and the Dominos, punched her so hard in a hotel hallway in 1970, Coolidge writes, that she was briefly rendered unconscious. She was worried she had made a grievous error by being so candid in the 227-page chronicle of her life, which will be published April 5 by HarperCollins. “I cried for an hour when I finished reading it for the first time,” Coolidge said. Seating can be reserved with purchase of book from Warwick’s, but book purchase is not required to attend. Where: Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La JollaĪdmission: Free. A holiday album, A Rita Coolidge Christmas, arrived seven years later in 2012 from 429 Records.“Delta Lady: A Memoir” book discussion and signing by Rita Coolidge Several anthology collections were released in the early 2000s And So Is Love, an album of traditional jazz standards, marked Coolidge's first release for Concord in 2005. Released in 1995, Cherokee, in particular, signaled a renewed interest in her Native American musical heritage, and she teamed up with her sister, Priscilla, and her niece, Laura Satterfield, to form Walela, which explored those roots in greater detail over two albums in 19, respectively. She returned to recording with 1992's Love Lessons, on Critique, and went on to cut several albums for other small labels during the latter half of the '90s. She parted ways with A&M after 1984's Inside the Fire, and spent some time away from the music business to devote herself to various social causes. Coolidge and Kristofferson released one final duet album, Natural Act, in 1979, but their marriage was on the rocks, and they separated by the end of the year.Ĭoolidge never repeated the pop success of Anytime, Anywhere, but she did continue to land hits on the adult contemporary charts through the early '80s, including "You," "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love," and "All Time High" (the theme for the James Bond flick Octopussy). Paced by the hit singles "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" (a Jackie Wilson cover that went to number two pop), "We're All Alone" (Top Ten), and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (a Top 20 Temptations cover), Anytime, Anywhere climbed into the Top Ten and sold over a million copies. Coolidge finally broke through in her own right with 1977's Anytime, Anywhere, a collection of well-chosen covers with a strong R&B bent. The following year, the couple released a follow-up, Breakaway, whose "Lover Please" won them another Grammy in the same category. Full Moon topped the country charts, and "From the Bottle to the Bottom" won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. She also married progressive country singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson in 1973, the same year she recorded a duet album with him titled Full Moon. Over the course of the next few years, she moved into country-rock and Southern California soft rock, working territory not too dissimilar from Linda Ronstadt. After returning from the supporting tour for Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Coolidge landed her own solo contract with A&M.Ĭoolidge's self-titled debut album was released in 1971, but despite critical acclaim for it and the follow-up, Nice Feelin', she failed to break through commercially. She subsequently relocated to Los Angeles, where she sang on recording sessions by the likes of Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, and Joe Cocker, among others. She moved to Memphis after graduation and worked singing commercial jingles, sometimes with her sister, Priscilla, and soon landed a job touring with Delaney & Bonnie as a backup vocalist. She studied art at Florida State University, but also sang and wrote songs on the side, and decided to give music a shot before settling into teaching. Born near Nashville, Tennessee, in the town of Lafayette in 1945, Coolidge was part Cherokee and first sang in the church where her father was a minister. A versatile singer blessed with a clear, pure voice, Rita Coolidge is a capable stylist in rock, pop, R&B, country, and folk, and has been a hugely in-demand session vocalist outside of her own solo recording career.
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