Cyndi Grecco

Last updated
Cyndi Grecco
Born (1952-05-19) May 19, 1952 (age 71)
New York City [ citation needed ]
Genres Adult contemporary
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1976–1989
Labels Private Stock Records

Cyndi Grecco (born May 19, 1952) is an American singer who performed the theme song to the 1970s American television show Laverne & Shirley .

Contents

The song, "Making Our Dreams Come True," featured Grecco accompanied by The Ron Hicklin Singers. It was released as a single on Private Stock Records label and spent two weeks at No. 25 in the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked July 4 through July 10, 1976. [1] [2]

Career

Composer Charles Fox and lyricist Norman Gimbel were hired by Laverne & Shirley creator Garry Marshall to write the show's theme song. [3] While Fox was visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in California, Grecco caught his attention when she was singing in a pop group at the park. Fox shared the Laverne & Shirley song with Grecco and offered her the opportunity to audition. [3] Accompanied by The Ron Hicklin Singers, Grecco sang the hit theme song and it was released it as a single. The song spent two weeks at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. [1] [2]

Managed by Janna Feliciano, then-wife of José Feliciano, Grecco provided the theme to the 1970s ABC television show Blansky's Beauties. She was a featured half-time performer and sung the U.S. National Anthem at the 1977 Sun Bowl. [4] [5]

Wish Upon a Star (1982), was Grecco's second album. It featured a disco-themed single, "Dancing, Dancing", which failed to chart.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyndi Lauper</span> American musician and actress (born 1953)

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies (1985) and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number-one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. In 1989, Lauper saw success with "I Drove All Night" and in 1993, had her first dance club hit with "That's What I Think".

<i>The Partridge Family Album</i> 1970 studio album by The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family Album is the first of eight studio albums by The Partridge Family. The LP was released in October 1970, a month after the debut of the ABC-TV musical sitcom The Partridge Family starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy, both of whom feature on the album, as do studio backing vocalists and session musicians. The success of the album – which in early January 1971 reached no. 4 on Billboard's Top LP's chart – was bolstered not only by the hit TV show but by the album's one single release, the massive hit "I Think I Love You", which for three weeks in November and December 1970 topped Billboard's Hot 100 and which NARM declared best-selling single of 1970.

<i>Sound Magazine</i> 1971 studio album by The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family Sound Magazine is the third studio album by TV-linked pop project The Partridge Family. Released in August 1971 before the start of the second season of the US TV series, it was their third hit album in ten months. In late September 1971, in its fifth week on Billboard's Top LP's chart, the album reached its no. 9 chart peak. In that same week the album's one hit single release, "I Woke Up In Love This Morning", peaked at no. 13 on Billboard's Hot 100. The LP was certified gold that same month. Sound Magazine is nearly universally regarded – by both fans and critics – as the Partridge Family's consummate pop album.

<i>Laverne & Shirley</i> American television sitcom (1976–1983)

Laverne & Shirley is an American sitcom television series that ran for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, two friends and roommates who work as bottle-cappers in the fictitious Shotz Brewery in late 1950s Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From the sixth season onwards, the series' setting changed to mid-1960s Burbank, California. Michael McKean and David Lander co-starred as their friends and neighbors Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman, respectively; along with Eddie Mekka as Carmine Ragusa, Phil Foster as Laverne's father Frank DeFazio, and Betty Garrett as the girls' landlady Edna Babish.

<i>Waynes World: Music from the Motion Picture</i> 1992 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album for the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World, released on February 18, 1992. The album was certified double-Platinum by the RIAA on July 16, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private Stock Records</span> Defunct American record label

Private Stock Records was a record label that operated from 1974 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)</span> 1984 single by Cyndi Lauper

"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single in March 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written or recorded. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).

"Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" is a popular song written by bandleader and occasional songwriter Milton Kellem The first known recorded version was released in 1951 by Roy Hogsed. Since then it has been done in several styles and tempos.

Jackie Ward, better known as Robin Ward, is an American singer, regarded as a "one-hit wonder" of 1963 million-selling song "Wonderful Summer". However, using her real name she was highly accomplished and successful singing in groups. Ward's voice is heard in U.S. television series, motion pictures, advertisements, and pop records. She is one of the real singers of the hits attributed to The Partridge Family.

"For All We Know" is a soft rock song written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, with music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by Robb Wilson and Arthur James. Both Royer and Griffin were founding members of the soft rock group Bread. It was originally performed, for the film's soundtrack, by Larry Meredith. The best known version of the song is by American pop duo the Carpenters which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1971. The song was also a hit for Shirley Bassey at the same time in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by various artists, including Petula Clark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song)</span> 1986 single by Cyndi Lauper

"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second studio album of the same name (1986). Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Change of Heart (Cyndi Lauper song)</span> 1986 single by Cyndi Lauper

"Change of Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on November 11, 1986 as the second single from her second album, True Colors (1986). It went gold in the US, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by singer-songwriter Essra Mohawk. Popular remixes by Shep Pettibone were also released. A music video was produced for the song, filmed in Trafalgar Square in London. It features Lauper and her tour band performing the song in front of a large group of people. The Bangles sang background vocals on the original recording. A live version of the song was released on Lauper's live album/DVD, To Memphis, with Love.

Pratt & McClain was an American musical duo known originally called Brother Love consisting of Jerry McClain and Truett Pratt, along with various sidemen. They scored a Billboard No. 5 hit in 1976 with "Happy Days", the theme to the sitcom of the same name, written and performed in a nostalgic 1950s rock and roll style. It was their only success, making them a one-hit wonder.

Charles Ira Fox is an American composer for film and television. His compositions include the sunshine pop musical backgrounds which accompanied every episode of the 1970s ABC-TV show Love, American Style; the theme song for the late 1970s ABC series The Love Boat; and the dramatic theme music to ABC's Wide World of Sports and the original Monday Night Football; as well as the Grammy-winning hit song "Killing Me Softly with His Song", written in collaboration with Fox's longtime writing partner, Norman Gimbel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feliz Navidad (song)</span> 1970 single by José Feliciano

"Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written and first recorded in 1970 by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple, heartfelt lyrics - the traditional Spanish Christmas/New Year greeting "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad", followed by text in English words "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart" - it has become a Christmas classic and has gained popularity around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco Inferno</span> 1976 single by the Trammps

"Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their fourth studio album of the same name (1976). With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream success until 1978, after being included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, when a re-release hit number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Ron Hicklin Singers were a group of Los Angeles studio singers contracted and organized by Ron Hicklin. They are mostly known as the real singers behind the background vocals on The Partridge Family recordings.

"Rock and Roll Lullaby" is a 1972 hit single performed by B. J. Thomas. It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Our Dreams Come True</span> 1976 single by Cyndi Grecco

"Making Our Dreams Come True" is a 1976 hit single written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It was recorded by Cyndi Grecco, then an unknown musician. The title track of her debut album, it was also used as the theme song to the 1976–83 television sitcom Laverne & Shirley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Time I'm in It for Love</span> 1978 single by Player

"This Time I'm in It for Love" is a song recorded by the American rock band Player. It was the second single from their self-titled first studio album. The song was released in early 1978 as the immediate follow-up to their biggest hit and debut single, "Baby Come Back".

References

  1. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. Penske Media Corporation. July 4, 1976. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. Penske Media Corporation. July 10, 1976. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Benitez-Eves, Tina (January 31, 2023). "The Story (and Fistfight) Behind the 'Laverne & Shirley' Theme Song". American Songwriter. Savage Ventures. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  4. "Sun Bowl Half-Time Begins in Mind's Eye". El Paso Times . December 8, 1976. p. 38. Retrieved January 17, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  5. Lee, Pete (January 4, 1977). "Editor's Corner". El Paso Herald-Post . p. 4. Retrieved January 17, 2019 via newspapers.com.