Years before she appeared in SPARKLE, THE COTTON CLUB, 'ROUND MIDNIGHT, and numerous Spike Lee movies, actress Lonette McKee was a singer in Detroit at the height of the Motown era. As Lonette, she recorded her first single at age 11 and was cutting tracks for producers Dennis Coffey & Mike Theodore by 13 (In his autobiography Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars, Coffey recalls Lonette's mom dropping her off at the studio every day after school). A couple of her early singles on the Dearborn and M-S labels, like "Blue Jeans," are very hard to find. "Mind Intruder" from '67 can be heard on the import comp CD Detroit: The Northern Soul Years (Goldmine), but here it is on YouTube for your listening pleasure:
Lonette recorded her first LP in 1974 for Sussex Records, again with the Theo-Coff team handling production chores. Here she is on Soul Train performing the single from that album, "Save It." Enjoy!
back in the day I'd get L.M. mixed up with Vonetta McGee--they're both a couple of babes, tho!
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