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Minnie Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer and songwriter noted for her five octave vocal range, with her 1975 single "Lovin` You."
Maya Rudolph, best known for her work on the NBC show, "Saturday Night Live," is Riperton`s daughter. Riperton can be heard singing "Maya, Maya, Maya, Maya" during the last few bars of her hit single "Lovin` You." Maya Rudolph can also be heard in discussion with Teena Marie on the final track "Too Many Colors (Tee`s Interlude)" of Teena`s 1980 album "Lady T."
Biography
As a child, Minnie Riperton studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago`s Lincoln Center. As a teen Riperton sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group the Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chess record label afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for such acts as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis and Muddy Waters. While with Chess, Riperton also sang for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection from 1967 to 1971. Riperton reached the apex of her short career with her number one hit single,"Lovin` You," in the spring of 1975. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album "Perfect Angel."
In 1976, at the age of of twenty-eight, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. In 1977 Riperton became the first black female to serve as spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and to receive the Society`s Courage Award from then-President Jimmy Carter. On Thursday July 12, 1979, at the age of 31, Riperton lost her valiant struggle with cancer. She died peacefully in her husband`s arms while listening to a recording of a song Stevie Wonder had written for her. On Sunday July 15, 1979, Riperton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, following a funeral service attended by more than five hundred mourners.
In addition to her musical legacy, Minnie Riperton is survived by her husband, Richard Rudolph; son, Marc Rudolph; and daughter, Maya Rudolph, a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
[edit] Early childhood
Riperton was born in Chicago, Illinois to Daniel and Thelma Riperton. As the youngest of eight children in a musically inclined family, Riperton embraced the arts early in life. Although she started out in ballet and modern dance, Riperton`s parents recognized her vocal and musical abilities early, and they directed her interests towards music and voice.
At Chicago`s Lincoln Center, Riperton received operatic vocal training from Miss Marion Jeffery. She practiced breathing and phrasing, with particular emphasis on diction. Jeffery also trained Riperton to use her full range, which contradicts traditional operatic training. Many classical purists deem the seventh octave worthless.
While studying under Jeffery, Riperton sang operettas and show tunes, preparing for a life in opera. Jeffery was so convinced of her pupil`s abilities that she strongly pushed her to further study the classics at Chicago`s Junior Lyric Opera. However, this was the 1960s, and Minnie was becoming very interested in soul, rhythm and blues, and rock. After graduating from Hyde Park High School, she enrolled at Loop College, but dropped out after only three weeks.
[edit] Early career
Riperton`s first professional appearance was when she was 15 as part of The Gems. Raynard Miner, a blind pianist, heard Riperton during her time in Hyde Park`s A C
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