Randy Crawford

Birth name: Veronica Crawford
Date of birth: 18 February 1952
Place of birth: Macon, Georgia
Record labels: Warners/Telstar
Career highlights: BRIT Award winner, 1982 Highest Charting Singles: One Day I’ll Fly Away, number two, 1980, Almaz, number four, 1986, Street Life (with The Crusaders), number five, 1979

Randy Crawford was born in Macon and grew up in Cincinnati – a city famed for its R&B musical heritage. She began working in clubs as a teen, accompanied by her father, and became lead vocalist in a group that included world-renowned bassist and funk veteran Bootsy Collins.

Her initial notoriety came from her strong and distinct vocal on disco smash Street Life, a 1979 song that featured on the soundtrack for the Burt Reynolds’ film Sharky's Machine. She was fronting R&B veteran band The Crusaders at the time, and following the success of that song, she signed to Warners as a solo artist.

She went on to be tabbed the Most Outstanding Performer at the 1980 Tokyo Music Festival the following year.

Huge success evaded her in her native America though, and she has yet to crack the pop Top 100 charts. The jazz-slanted singer has proved way more successful in Europe, and won a BRIT Award in 1982 for Best Female Artist.