Laurie Styvers

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Laurie Styvers
Birth nameLaurette Stivers
Born(1951-08-03)3 August 1951 [1]
Texas, United States
DiedFebruary 18, 1998(1998-02-18) (aged 46)
Texas, United States
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active1970–1973

Laurette Stivers, known as Laurie Styvers, was a British-based, American singer-songwriter.

Contents

Career

Justine

Styvers moved to London in the mid-1960s when her father, who was a pipeline engineer in the oil industry, was stationed in Europe. She attended The American School in London, graduating in 1969. [2] The year prior, Styvers had responded to an advertisement for female singers that had been placed by John McBurnie (later of Jackson Heights) and Keith Trowsdale. The three, with additional vocalists Bethlyn Bates and Valerie Cope, formed the psychedelic folk band Justine and recorded and released one album and two singles with producer Hugh Murphy in 1970. Styvers left to attend college in Colorado before the album was released and thus was not pictured on its cover. [2] She returned to the UK in late 1970 and rejoined the group but they disbanded shortly thereafter. [3] [4]

Solo

Styvers signed to Hush Productions, owned by Hugh Murphy and Shel Talmy, and released two solo albums and a single between 1971 and 1973. These were produced by Murphy, who was also the co-writer on a handful of songs, as well as being Styvers' sometime boyfriend. [5] Her debut was Spilt Milk, recorded in the spring of 1971 with arrangements by Tom Parker. Released in the United States by Warner Brothers in November 1971, it received good reviews and some airplay on the college circuit but was not commercially successful. [5] [3] In 1981, Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies described the first solo album as "rightfully obscure". [6]

Styvers performed at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in support of the album, but then returned to her studies at the University of Colorado where she joined a local group, Little Brown's Electric Band. Spilt Milk was issued in the UK in May 1972 on the Chrysalis label and a concurrent single, "Beat The Reaper", got healthy airplay, including a feature as BBC Radio 1 Single of the Week. Styvers was summoned back to London to promote the album and also start work on its sequel, The Colorado Kid, which was recorded over the early summer with David Whitaker handling the arrangements and the ex-Arrival trio of Dyan Birch, Frank Collins, and Paddy McHugh on backing vocals. The Colorado Kid appeared in the spring of the following year to further good reviews, although it was not released in the United States. [2]

On February 17, 2023, High Moon Records released Gemini Girl: The Complete Hush Recordings, a compilation of material from Styvers' Hush studio sessions. The release includes the entirety of the Spilt Milk and The Colorado Kid LPs, as well as alternate mixes, outtakes, demos, and a 48-page booklet illustrated with photos and memorabilia. [7] In 2024, High Moon released additional tracks on an LP, Let Me Comfort You: The Hush Rarities.

Later life and death

Following the release of her second album, Styvers returned to Colorado and continued to dabble in music until the late 1970s. She shifted her focus however to caring for animals. Later on, she returned to her native Texas and established an animal sanctuary with her father, the Creature Comforts Boarding Kennel.  She died from hepatitis in 1998. [2]

Discography

Justine

Album

Singles

Solo

Albums

Single

Compilations

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References

  1. ↑ Styvers, Laurie (1972). Spilt Milk (sleeve notes).
  2. 1 2 3 4 Palao, Alec (2023). Gemini Girl: The Complete Hush Recordings (sleeve notes).
  3. 1 2 "Laurie Styvers – Spilt Milk (1972)". Disques Obscurs (in French). Disques Obscurs. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 Leon, Noel (20 October 2010). "Biography". Last.fm . CBS Corporation . Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 13 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ↑ Neff, Joseph (15 February 2023). "Graded on a Curve: Laurie Styvers, Gemini Girl: The Complete Hush Recordings". The Vinyl District.
  8. 1 2 "Laurie Styvers". highmoonrecords.com. Retrieved 15 November 2024.


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