Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (August 22, 1953 – July 21, 2024) was an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the hi-NRG dance hits "High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot".
Life and career
Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 22, 1953. Thomas recorded and performed disco, Eurobeat, R&B, and dance music songs in the 1980s. She was discovered by British producer Ian Levine, who was in the United States in 1975 scouting for gospel and soul singers he could promote in the UK. The two recorded several tracks which resulted in a contract with 20th Century Records.
Thomas scored a chart hit with her first single, reaching the UK top 30 in 1976 with the single "Weak Spot", and at number five in the UK.
Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70. Her death was acknowledged by Levine who premiered a posthumous song, "Out with the Old", in her honour on August 1, 2024.
Discography
Studio albums
- I Wanna Make It on My Own (Casablanca Records, 1978)
- Have a Little Faith in Me (AVI Records, 1979)
- High Energy (Record Shack, 1984)
- Standing at the Crossroads (Record Shack, 1986)
Compilation albums
- The Best of Evelyn Thomas (Hot Productions, 1991)
- High Energy: The Best of Evelyn Thomas (Hallmark, 2000)
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Single
! scope="col" colspan="5"|Peak chart positions
|-
! style="width:45px;"|<small>US Dance</small><br>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>US R&B</small><br>
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1976
| "Weak Spot"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 26
|-
| "Doomsday"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 41
|-
| "Love's Not Just an Illusion"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1977
| "My Head's in the Stars"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1978
| "Thanks for Being There"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1979
| "Have a Little Faith in Me"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1984
| "High Energy"
| align=center | 1
| align=center | —
| align=center | 85
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 5
|-
| "Masquerade"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | 33
| align=center | 60
|-
| "Heartless"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 84
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 95
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1985
| "Sorry Wrong Number"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 100
|-
| "Cold Shoulder"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 81
|-
| "Reflections"
| align=center | 18
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1986
| "How Many Hearts"
| align=center | 11
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Tightrope"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1987
| "Standing at the Crossroads"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| "No Win Situation"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Summer on the Beach"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| "High Voltage"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1988
| "Only Once in a Lifetime"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Sleaze"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1989
| "This Is Madness"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1993
| "Move Your Body"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1994
| "One World"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1998
| "Please Don't Let Me Go"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2008
| "Stick to the Plan"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
| align=center | —
| align=center | ―
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- Soul music
References
External links
- Discography at Rate Your Music.
- Evelyn Thomas at Discogs.