Ms Rita Graham
| Ms Rita Graham | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | Singer, Recording Artist, Songwriter in Atlanta, Georgia |
| 📆 Years active | 57 years |
| Known for | Ray Charles Raelettes, Rita & The Tiaras |
| Works | "Gone With The Wind Is My Love", Rita Graham Vibrations LP |
| 🏡 Home town | Detroit, Michigan |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Wayne Knighton |
| 👶 Children | Shawn Graham |
Early Life[edit]
Rita Graham grew up in Detroit Michigan not far from Motown Records. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was a barber that owned his own barbershop. After she completed high school she moved to Los Angeles, California.
Career[edit]
While in Los Angeles Rita worked as a recorded singer for many demo records. One particular record she sang on was entitled "Gone With The Wind Is My Love". That song was produced by Lou Barreto and was arranged to sound like a Motown song. Barreto hired a group of background singers called 'The Tiaras" to sing background vocals to Rita's lead. The Song was released by the Dore record label for the UK Northern Soul market. It was a hit.
A few years later, while on tour in Australia, Rita met Ray Charles. Charles, began producing a record on her. Rita went to a Ray Charles performance at the Coconut Grove Nightclub in Los Angeles. Rita brought a copy of the LP Ray Produced on her. When the Raelettes saw that Charles had produced an LP on Rita and not them, they all quit. Ray asked Rita to become a Raelette to help smooth over the shortfall of background talent in his act. Rita is the only woman Ray Charles produced a solo LP on and put on his own label.
By the end of the 1960s Rita Graham had a hit single with Rita and The Tiaras and an acclaimed solo LP entitled "Rita Graham Vibrations". The LP yielded another Northern Soul hit "My Cup Runneth Over". The 1970s had Rita cutting demos for various record labels including Epic, Motown and Bell Records but deals fell through and there was no epic chart success. She did have some success recording for Mike Post (Hill Street Blues, Law and Order, The Rockford Files). Rita also had success obtaining gigs and with touring as a singer with Big Bands, primarily The Harry James Orchestra, The Duke Ellington Orchestra as well as a featured performer with Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles and Redd Foxx among others.
In the late 1990s Rita began a ten year stint as the main singer for the world famous Sambuca nightclub in Atlanta. A CD Live At The Sambuca was released and Rita became known as The First Lady of The Sambuca. During all of this time Rita was also singing in Music Festivals, Night Clubs, Casinos, and Concert Halls all over the world.
In 2020 Rita signed with Loveforce International Records. Loveforce International has released several Digital Music Singles which Rita wrote and recorded.
Personal Life
Rita Graham has an BS in Special Education from eastern Michigan University. She has voice taught at the University level. Rita Graham is a Board member of Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc.
She has just release the Audio Book version of her critically acclaimed Mystery novel Karma Rising. The book is a murder mystery with a backstory involving past lives and Karma.
