Rita Coolidge
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Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945 in Lafayette, Tennessee) is an American singer.
Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton and Leon Russell. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson and they married in 1973. With him she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From The Bottle To The Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
She had several solo hit singles during the late 1970s with cover versions. Her first hit, "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher", a cover of the Jackie Wilson song, was also her highest seller, reaching number two on the US charts in 1977.
Other hits were "One Fine Day" (written by Carole King and a hit for the 1960's girl group the Chiffons, "We're All Alone" (originally recorded by Boz Scaggs), "I Don't Want To Talk About It" (written by Danny Whitten), "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (The Temptations), and "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love" (Carole Bayer Sager).
She scored her last hit in 1983, with "All Time High" for the James Bond film Octopussy. Another well known movie song although not really a hit for Coolidge was the love theme from the movie Splash "Love Came For Me".
Her marriage to Kristofferson ended in 1980.
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee although none of the three are enrolled as Cherokees or any other federally recognized tribe.
In 2004, Coolidge released an anthology of her complete career, entitled Delta Lady — The Rita Coolidge Anthology.
In 2006 she toured the United Kingdom on the "Once in a Lifetime Country Tour" with Don Williams and Kenny Rogers.
