Marlena Shaw: “California Soul” singer and frequently sampled voice in hip-hop, dies aged 81

Renowned jazz and R&B singer Marlena Shaw, whose frequently sampled discography left a lasting impact, has passed away at 81. The announcement was made by her daughter Marla in a video on Facebook. 

Marla shared the news, expressing, “It’s with a very heavy heart for myself and my family I announce that our beloved mother, your beloved icon and artist Marlena Shaw has passed away…She went listening to some of her favourite songs.”

Born Marlina Burgess in 1942, Marlena was introduced to music by her uncle, jazz trumpeter Jimmy Burgess, leading to early exposure including legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. Despite her talent being evident from a young age, her mother hesitated to let her tour with her uncle, leading Shaw to enrol in the New York State Teachers College in Potsdam to study music. 

Although she later dropped out, Shaw's singing career gained momentum in the 1960s when she started making appearances in jazz clubs, including a notable collaboration with jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee in 1963. However, it was in 1966 that her career truly took off when she secured a gig with the Playboy Club chain in Chicago, catching the attention of Chess Records representatives. She signed with Cadet Records, a Chess subsidiary, and released her first two albums.

While at Chess, Shaw released the funk-soul tune California Soul, which became a UK rare groove scene staple. In 1972, feeling constrained at Chess, she moved to the jazz-oriented Blue Note Records. Her musical versatility shone through in the disco era with hits like a remake of Touch Me in the Morning on Columbia Records. Throughout her career, she continued to evolve, recording the Gary Taylor ballad Without You in My Life in 1982 and contributing vocals to Phil Upchurch's Could It Be You in 1983.

Her music, characterized by a unique blend of jazz, blues, soul, and disco, has been sampled in hip-hop and featured in television commercials - among those names to have sampled Shaw are Black Grape (Reverend Black Grape) and Gang Starr (Check The Technique).