Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer of Sylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album, Me and You (1982), featured post-disco hits "I'm Your Jeanie","Sing Your Own Song" and the overlooked 1983 smash R&B and Funk hit,"Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight". From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show Star Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1995, Tracy released her second album It's My Time.
In 2012, Tracy portrayed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the theater production Mahalia: A Gospel Singer. She released an extended play Making New Friends (2015), which features past singles.
Throughout her career, Tracy has scored four number-one dance singles: "The Power" (2001), "Cha Cha Heels" (2004), "Party People" (2006), and "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016).
Early life
Jeanie Autre Tracy was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Fresno, California. At a young age, Tracy began singing in her church choir at Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. During her high school years, she studied opera and classical piano. In 1976, she contributed vocals to Richard "Dimples" Fields' album Ready For Anything. In 1979, Tracy relocated to San Francisco, California where she was introduced to Harvey Fuqua, the manager for American disco singer Sylvester. Soon after meeting Sylvester, Tracy became friends with him and began singing backgrounds for him in addition to his then-current background singers Two Tons o' Fun (Martha Wash and Izora Armstead). In the same year, Tracy contributed her vocals to the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's film, Apocalypse Now.
1982–1988: Me and You
In 1982, Tracy released her debut album Me and You on Fantasy Records. The album's lead single was "Your Old Standby", a cover of Mary Wells's 1963 hit. The second single "I'm Your Jeanie" would inspire Sylvester's song "Do You Wanna Funk". The third single was the album's titled-track "Me and You". In the same year, she released two singles "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" and "Hot(For Your Love)". In 1984, she secured a record contract with Megatone Records and released two singles "Sing Your Own Song" and "Time Bomb", which peaked at number thirty-three on Billboards Dance chart. From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show Star Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1985, she released her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which peaked at number twenty-two on the Dance chart. "Crying In My Sleep" was released as the album's final single in 1995. In 1997, she released a single called "Happiness". In 1998, no longer signed with Pulse-8, she re-united with the "It's My Time" album's team of producers, the Band of Gypsies, for a single entitled "Answer My Prayer". In the same year, Tracy began a regular cast member and voiced the character Bantu in the children series Adventures with Kanga Roddy.
1999–2016: Rosabel and Altar
In 1999, Tracy released a single "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", remixed by Rosabel and released on AM Records. The single peaked at number twenty on Billboards Dance chart. The single charted at number five on Billboards Dance chart. which also peaked at number one on Billboards Dance chart. The single became Tracy's third number-one song on Billboards Dance chart. The song peaked at number seven on Billboards Dance chart. The extended play consisted of four past singles: "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight", "Hot (For Your Love)", "Making New Friends", and "Trippin' on the Sounds".
2017–present: Recent projects
In May 2018, she released a single "Is This My Last Stop for Love".
Legacy
In 2012, Tracy was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. In the same year, she was also inducted into the Just Circuit Award Hall of Fame Artist Award. As a devout Christian, she is a member of Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ in Oakland, California.
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