Carol Lynn Maillard | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 4, 1951 |
| Occupation(s) | composer, singer, musician, actress |
| Instrument | Voice |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Appleseed/Earthbeat/MFLP, Redwood Records, Flying Fish/Rounder, Rykodisc |
| Member of | Sweet Honey in the Rock (1973–1977) (1989–present) |
| Children | Jordan Maillard Ware |
| Website | http://sweethoneyintherock.org |
Carol Lynn Maillard (Born: March 4, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and composer. She is the 3rd member of the Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble group Sweet Honey in the Rock, being one of the 4 original/founding members of the group. Maillard first joined/stayed in the group from 1973 to 1977 and then rejoined in 1989, first as a part-time substitute member for Evelyn Maria Harris and then full-time substitute member in 1990, until 2 years later when Evelyn decided to leave the group, which led to Maillard becoming once again a full-time member of Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1992. she has been in Sweet Honey In The Rock ever seen then.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Maillard was a student of the GESU SCHOOL in Philadelphia and also graduated from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School. She graduated from The Catholic University of America with a major in theater in 1973.
Maillard has acting credits that include roles on Broadway ( Eubie! , Comin' Uptown, Beehive); Off-Broadway (in several Negro Ensemble Company productions like Zooman and the Sign, and in New York Shakespeare Festival productions); television ( For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf , [1] Hallelujah! ); and film ( Beloved , Thirty to Life ). Much of her career has involved participating in works that are Afro-centric and steeped in African American orality, as well as uplift and support of Black culture [2]
She is a founding member of the group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and has composed and arranged many of that group's songs. [3] [4] Maillard has described the creation of that group as something connecting to the social movements of the time, but also equally inspired by contemporary experimental theater and contemporary popular music. [5] [6] That group has been nominated for a Grammy multiple times, won a Grammy Award for their contribution to the Smithsonian Folkways A Vision Shared album, and have won multiple Washington Area Music Awards Wammies [7] Most of her solo compositions are published via 4 Jagelish Music. [8]
In addition to composing and performing with Sweet Honey in the Rock, she has also been a guest vocalist for other artists, including Horace Silver and Betty Buckley.
Maillard has a son, Jordan Maillard Ware, who is also a Los Angeles-based musician. He appears with her in the documentary Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice [9]